Braided Pork Kidneys

Name: Braided Pork Kidneys
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 40 min
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 250 g pork kidneys (skin removed, halved, sinew removed); 175 g cooked pork fat (sliced into 6 cm long by 3 cm wide thin pieces); 1 egg (use the white only); 25 g dry starch (for dusting both sides); 1 g MSG (0.5 g for seasoning the shrimp paste, 0.5 g for the final sprinkle); 1 g salt (for seasoning the shrimp paste); 25 g Shaoxing wine (5 g for seasoning the shrimp paste, 20 g for the final sprinkle); 500 g (about 75 g used) rendered pork lard (about 75 g actually used; heated to medium-hot for oil-blanching); shrimp (minced into a paste), to taste

A classic traditional dish of Shandong (Lu) cuisine. Pork kidney slices are layered with pork fat, slit and interlaced into a twisted shape, then pan-fried in oil until tender and savory.

40 min

Easy

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Ingredients

pork kidneys (skin removed, halved, sinew removed) 250 g

cooked pork fat (sliced into 6 cm long by 3 cm wide thin pieces) 175 g

egg (use the white only) 1

dry starch (for dusting both sides) 25 g

MSG (0.5 g for seasoning the shrimp paste, 0.5 g for the final sprinkle) 1 g

salt (for seasoning the shrimp paste) 1 g

Shaoxing wine (5 g for seasoning the shrimp paste, 20 g for the final sprinkle) 25 g

rendered pork lard (about 75 g actually used; heated to medium-hot for oil-blanching) 500 g (about 75 g used)

shrimp (minced into a paste) to taste

Instructions

Prepare the ingredients

Peel the kidneys, split each one in half lengthwise with a knife, cut away the central sinew, and slice them into 16 thin pieces about 6 cm long and 3 cm wide. Slice the cooked pork fat into pieces of the same size. Dip both the kidney and fat slices in the egg white, then dust both sides evenly with dry starch. Arrange them on a plate and set aside.

Season the shrimp paste and assemble

Mince the shrimp into a paste and place it in a bowl. Add 0.5 g MSG, 5 g Shaoxing wine, and the salt, then stir until evenly combined. Spread the shrimp paste over a pork fat slice, lay another fat slice on top if needed, then cover with a kidney slice. Using a knife, make three 4 cm long parallel slits down the center of each kidney slice (cutting all the way through to the fat layer). Pinch one end and thread it back through the center slit from the underside, pulling it through to form a braided (twisted) shape.

Oil-blanch and dry-pan-fry

Place a wok over the heat, add the rendered pork lard, and heat until the oil reaches about 50% hot (medium), then remove from the heat. Slip the braided kidneys into the oil one by one and oil-blanch for 2 minutes. Pour off the oil, return the wok to the heat, add the braided kidneys, and shake the wok to dry-fry them for 1 minute. Sprinkle 20 g Shaoxing wine and 0.5 g MSG over the kidneys, then transfer to a plate and serve immediately.