If you were to do an on-the-spot poll of Chinese people's favorite winter dishes, it's safe to assume that mutton soup - or varieties thereof - would probably appear in the top three (it should be pointed out that "mutton" soup is sometimes made with goat meat, but is still always referred to as mutton). And as the weather gets even colder, eateries are doing a booming business in this popular staple. Mutton is famous for being able to dispel colds, for nourishing the kidneys and for improving blood circulation.

And styles of eating mutton soup vary in different parts of the country. However, the basic cooking process remains the same. Firstly, boil the thigh bones and mutton meat in water to make the initial soup; secondly, remove the mutton from the soup and fry with a variety of seasonings and spices; thirdly, put the mutton into a pot, soak in the boiled soup, and then slowly stew and add in some spices. It is said the most authentic mutton soup doesn't even need salt to flavor.

And the Global Times has found four mutton-soup eateries in Shanghai which all have a well-earned reputation for this dish.

Sister Lu's Sichuan Jianyang Mutton Soup

Jianyang City, located in Sichuan Province, is known far and wide for its profusion of mutton-soup eateries, so much so that it features in the name of many a restaurant outside the city. And at Sister Lu's the most popular dishes are the mutton soup and the mutton sweetbread soup, both of which cost 20 yuan ($3.20) for a bowl.

 "After the boiled soup is poured onto the cooked mutton or the mutton sweetbread, sliced scallions are added into the soup," the eatery owner, surnamed Wang, told the Global Times. "And we use our own chili-powder recipe to season the soup according to customers' requirements."

A number of other Sichuan-styled dishes are also available at Sister Lu's, including meat dumplings in spicy sauce.

 

Add: 63 Longcao Road, Xuhui district 

徐汇区龙漕路63号

Zhengjia Mutton Soup

"Our mutton soup is made daily from fresh mutton and bones and boiled until it is a white color. We also add special herbs to dispel the bad smell of the meat," the shop manager at Zhengjia Mutton Soup, surnamed Wu, told the Global Times.

At Zhengjia, the mutton is removed before the soup is fully cooked, so that it doesn't taste too soft. The meat is then sliced into pieces and eaten after being dipped in sauces which accompany the white mutton soup. A small-sized serving of mutton soup costs 12 yuan, including the mutton (10 yuan) and the bowl of soup (2 yuan). A medium sized serving costs 15 yuan, and a large-sized portion is 18 yuan.

This Henan-style eatery has also recently opened a second outlet at Liaoyuan Road West in Yangpu district.

 

Add: 100 Nanshan Road, Zhabei district

闸北区南山路100号

Suzhou Cangshu Mutton Restaurant

There are many branches of the Suzhou Cangshu Mutton Restaurant dotted around Shanghai, and which are famous for their noodle dishes made with mutton soup. They also serve sliced mutton which can be either braised in soy sauce or boiled in the soup.

The chain's mutton soup hotpot remains another biggest selling dish. And customers can also order other parts of the sheep or goat to be used in the dish such as boiled sliced liver.

 

Add: 173 Anshun Road, Changning district

长宁区安顺路173号

Majia Mutton Soup

Open from 6 am to 9:30 pm, this rustic eatery may not be much to look at. But customers are enticed nonetheless by its huge cauldron-like pot where mutton and sweetbread is kept constantly on the boil.

Sliced garlic leaves are put into the soup for seasoning, and a piece of flaky pastry (one yuan each piece) is available to complement the mutton soup. Mutton with mixed seasonings is another popular dish and which includes a home-made sauce.

Add: 1136 Dongyuhang Road, Hongkou district

虹口区东余杭路1136号