Deep-Fried Stuffed Jellyfish (Yu Huang)
Jellyfish heads wrapped in shrimp paste batter and deep-fried until crisp on the outside and tender within, with a glossy jade-like sheen and an audible crunch.
Ingredients
aged jellyfish head (washed and cut into small pieces)
250 g
shrimp meat (minced)
150 g
cooked pork fat (minced)
25 g
egg white
2
chicken broth
150 g
dry starch (some for coating jellyfish, some for shrimp paste)
50 g
rendered pork fat (actual consumption varies)
750 g
sesame oil
10 g
fine salt (used in stages)
4 g
MSG
0.5 g
Sichuan pepper salt (served as a dip)
1.5 g
Instructions
1
Step 1
Mince the shrimp meat and cooked pork fat separately. Add the egg whites, 2 g of fine salt, the chicken broth, and 25 g of dry starch, and mix together into a smooth shrimp paste. Set aside.
2
Step 2
Wash the jellyfish heads. Briefly blanch them in boiling water, then soak them in cold water until they return to their original volume. Cut into small pieces and pat dry with clean cheesecloth. Season with the remaining 2 g of fine salt and the MSG. Dust with 25 g of dry starch, then evenly coat each piece with the shrimp paste.
3
Step 3
Place a wok over heat and add the rendered pork fat. When the oil reaches about 40% hot (around 120 °C / 250 °F), carefully lower the coated jellyfish pieces into the oil one by one and fry until they float to the surface. Remove and drain the oil.
4
Step 4
Add the sesame oil to a clean wok, add the fried "jade locusts," and toss them a few times to coat. Serve immediately, accompanied by the Sichuan pepper salt for dipping.
