Known in Chinese as scalded mutton (shuan yang rou), this is the distinctive hot pot of Beijing. Cook your own thin slices of mutton in bubbling broth, along with vegetables and bean thread noodles, and then dip them into a sauce made of sesame paste, chive-flower preserve, and other seasonings. It's more of a midwinter dish than food for August, but if this is your once-in-a-lifetime visit to Beijing, don't miss it. The Muslim restaurant Dong Lai Shun (12 Xinyuanxili Zhongjie, Chaoyang District) is the most famous purveyor of shuan yang rou.