Braised Vegetable Hearts
A traditional Jiangsu dish featuring braised green vegetable hearts with chicken breast and ham, yielding a tender, melt-in-the-mouth texture.
Ingredients
Baby bok choy hearts (washed, trim the stems into an olive shape, score with a cross pattern, remove the leaves)
as needed
Chicken breast (sliced into willow-leaf-shaped thin pieces)
as needed
Egg yolk
as needed
Dry starch
as needed
Lard
as needed
Ham slices
as needed
Winter bamboo shoot slices
as needed
Shrimp
as needed
Salt
as needed
MSG
as needed
Chicken broth
as needed
Chicken fat (drizzled over the finished dish)
as needed
Instructions
1
Prepare the Main Ingredients
Wash the bok choy hearts, trim the stems into an olive shape, score them with a cross pattern, and remove the leaves; slice the chicken breast into willow-leaf-shaped thin pieces, place in a bowl, add egg yolk and dry starch, and mix well.
2
Slip Through Oil
Heat lard in a wok over high heat until it reaches about 30% hot. Add the bok choy hearts and stir with an iron spoon until they turn emerald green, then remove and drain the oil. Add the chicken breast slices to the wok to slip through the oil, and remove and drain the oil.
3
Arrange in the Pot
First place a portion of the bok choy hearts at the bottom of the clay pot as a base, then arrange the bok choy hearts sequentially along the edge of the pot. Arrange the ham slices, winter bamboo shoot slices, and chicken breast slices in a circular pattern on top of the bok choy hearts, and garnish the center with shrimp.
4
Braise
Add salt, wine, MSG, and chicken broth, place over heat and bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat and braise for 15 minutes. Drizzle with chicken fat and it is ready to serve.
