Dragon Playing with a Pearl

Name: Dragon Playing with a Pearl
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Ingredients: to taste soft-shell turtle pieces (cleaned, divided into front leg pieces, belly piece, back leg pieces, and neck); to taste braising sauce; 25 g cooked pork lard; 15 g scallion segments; 50 g bamboo shoot pieces; 60 g Chinese yam pieces; 30 g wood ear mushrooms; 1 portion soft-shell turtle eggs; 25 g Shaoxing wine; 1 g fine salt; 25 g white sugar; 125 g pork broth; 15 g water starch slurry; 15 g sesame oil

A traditional Suzhou specialty, this dish features soft-shell turtle as the main ingredient, braised with bamboo shoots, yam, and wood ear mushrooms. The turtle's gelatinous skirt edge turns translucent and glossy, and the braising liquid reduces to a rich, glue-like sauce.

1h 10m

Easy

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Ingredients

soft-shell turtle pieces (cleaned, divided into front leg pieces, belly piece, back leg pieces, and neck) to taste

braising sauce to taste

cooked pork lard 25 g

scallion segments 15 g

bamboo shoot pieces 50 g

Chinese yam pieces 60 g

wood ear mushrooms 30 g

soft-shell turtle eggs 1 portion

Shaoxing wine 25 g

fine salt 1 g

white sugar 25 g

pork broth 125 g

water starch slurry 15 g

sesame oil 15 g

Instructions

Arranging in the bowl

In a bowl, arrange the soft-shell turtle pieces evenly, with the front leg pieces facing belly-down, the belly and back leg pieces facing belly-up pressed into the bowl, then add the neck, and evenly ladle the braising sauce over the turtle in the bowl for later use.

Stir-frying the aromatics and vegetables

Heat a wok over high heat, add 25 g cooked pork lard, then add 15 g scallion segments; once the scallions turn yellow and become fragrant, add 50 g bamboo shoot pieces, 60 g Chinese yam pieces, 30 g wood ear mushrooms, and 1 portion soft-shell turtle eggs. Add 25 g Shaoxing wine, 1 g fine salt, and 25 g white sugar, toss the wok, and bring to a boil.

Braising and reducing

Take one bowl of the arranged soft-shell turtle and pour it into one side of the wok, add 125 g pork broth. Once boiling, cover the wok and braise over low heat until the braising sauce becomes thick and concentrated.

Thickening and plating

Thicken over high heat with 15 g water starch slurry, then drizzle in 15 g each of cooked pork lard and sesame oil, then remove from heat. First place the Chinese yam and turtle neck at the bottom of the plate, lay the turtle on top, then arrange the bamboo shoots, wood ear mushrooms, and turtle eggs on top to finish.