Braised Soft-shelled Turtle

Name: Braised Soft-shelled Turtle
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 1 h 5 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 750 g Soft-shelled turtle (slaughtered, cleaned, scalded to remove dark skin, claws trimmed, intestines removed retaining liver and gall bladder, head, neck and limbs separated); 50 g Tender chicken thigh meat (cut into 2.5 cm cubes); 25 g Pork shank meat (cut into 2.5 cm cubes); 25 g Yellow bean paste; 15 g Scallion (cut into sections); 10 g Sliced ginger; 5 g Sichuan peppercorn; 5 g Star anise; 100 g Rendered lard; 10 g Soy sauce; 15 g Shaoxing wine; 100 g Clear broth

A classic Shandong-style braised turtle, featuring a rich and mellow broth with tender, delicate meat. Nutritious and full of savory depth.

1h 30m

Easy

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Ingredients

Soft-shelled turtle (slaughtered, cleaned, scalded to remove dark skin, claws trimmed, intestines removed retaining liver and gall bladder, head, neck and limbs separated) 750 g

Tender chicken thigh meat (cut into 2.5 cm cubes) 50 g

Pork shank meat (cut into 2.5 cm cubes) 25 g

Yellow bean paste 25 g

Scallion (cut into sections) 15 g

Sliced ginger 10 g

Sichuan peppercorn 5 g

Star anise 5 g

Rendered lard 100 g

Soy sauce 10 g

Shaoxing wine 15 g

Clear broth 100 g

Instructions

Prepare soft-shelled turtle and cut ingredients

Slaughter and clean the live soft-shelled turtle, scald it in boiling water, scrape off the dark skin, trim the claws, rinse clean, then parboil it in boiling water. When the shell can be easily lifted, remove the turtle and place it in a cold water basin. Tear off the shell and skirt edge together, remove the intestines while retaining the liver and gall bladder, then separate the head, neck and limbs. Cut the chicken thigh meat and pork shank meat into 2.5 cm cubes, place all prepared ingredients in a basin, cut scallion whites into sections, slice the ginger, and set aside.

Stir-fry ingredients

Add rendered lard to a wok and heat over medium heat until it reaches approximately 50% heat (around 110°C). Add scallion and ginger, fry until golden, then add yellow bean paste and fry until fully fragrant. Add Sichuan peppercorn, star anise, chicken and pork, stir-fry briefly, then add soy sauce, Shaoxing wine and clear broth. When the mixture comes to a boil, turn to medium heat and cook for 10 minutes, skim off any surface foam, then transfer the mixture to a clay pot.

Stew until tender

Add the soft-shelled turtle, its head, neck and limbs, arranging them into a neat shape in the clay pot. Place the turtle liver and gall bladder on top, cover the clay pot, and simmer over low heat until the meat is tender and falls apart. Remove the scallion, ginger, Sichuan peppercorn and star anise before serving.