Braised Soft-shelled Turtle
A Yunnan specialty, slowly braised in a clay pot over low heat for tender meat and rich, aromatic flavor.
Ingredients
Soft-shelled turtle (live)
1
Ginger (crushed)
30 g
Yunnan ham (sliced)
30 g
Fine salt
10 g
Cooked pork lard
100 g
Yellow wine
10 g
Garlic cloves
100 g
MSG
3 g
Scallion segments
60 g
White pepper
2 g
Sweet soy sauce
30 g
Chicken broth
500 ml
Soy sauce
30 g
Instructions
1
Step 1
Slaughter the live soft-shelled turtle and let the blood drain. Remove the entrails, cut off the claw tips, blanch with hot water, and wash off the black skin. Cut the turtle into 3 cm cubes. Blanch in boiling water to remove all blood impurities, then rinse clean. Crush the ginger. Slice the Yunnan ham.
2
Step 2
Place a wok over the fire, pour in the pork lard, and heat to about 50% hot. Add the garlic and stir-fry until yellow, then add the scallions, ginger, and Yunnan ham and stir-fry until fragrant. Add the turtle and stir-fry to drive off some of the moisture.
3
Step 3
Remove from the wok and transfer all ingredients into a clay pot. Add the chicken broth, sweet soy sauce, soy sauce, salt, Shaoxing wine, and white pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat, cover, and move to low heat to braise for half an hour. When the liquid has reduced to about 30%, add MSG to season. Remove the scallion segments and ginger slices, plate, and serve.
