Dry-Braised Shark Fin
A prized signature dish of Sichuan cuisine, prepared using the classic dry-braising technique so the sauce fully permeates the shark fin. The result is a glossy, richly flavored preparation with a soft, glutinous texture.
Ingredients
Dried Yu-ji Shark Fin (cleaned)
750 g
Sichuan Salt
5 g
Soybean Sprouts (tips and tails removed)
150 g
MSG
2 g
Fatty Hen Meat (cut into chunks)
750 g
Ginger (smashed)
100 g
Ham (sliced thick)
100 g
Scallion White Segments
100 g
Pork Knuckle (scraped clean, split and cut into chunks)
750 g
Chicken Stock
3750 g
Shaoxing Wine
200 g
Sesame Oil
25 g
Caramel Color
15 g
Lard
150 g
Instructions
1
Step 1
Select cleaned Yu-ji shark fins, soak in boiling water until soft, remove all impurities, small bones and other debris, then blanch repeatedly in a pot of boiling water several times to eliminate unwanted odors. Cut the fatty hen meat into chunks; scrape the pork knuckle clean, split it open and cut into chunks, slice the ham into thick pieces; trim the tips and tails off the soybean sprouts, smash the ginger.
2
Step 2
Place a wok over high heat, add 25 g of lard and heat to 40% of its maximum temperature. Add 25 g of smashed ginger and 25 g of scallion white segments, stir-fry briefly, then add 750 g of chicken stock, 50 g of Shaoxing wine, blanch the shark fins for approximately 10 minutes, then remove them. Discard the cooking liquid, ginger and scallions. Repeat this blanching process two more times to remove the fishy odor, then wrap the shark fins tightly in clean cheesecloth.
3
Step 3
Place a wok over high heat, add 50 g of lard and heat to 70% of its maximum temperature. Add 25 g of smashed ginger and 25 g of scallion whites, stir-fry briefly, then add the chicken chunks, pork knuckle pieces and ham slices, stir-fry for several minutes. Next add Shaoxing wine, caramel color and 4 g of Sichuan salt, stir to combine, then pour in 1500 g of chicken stock. Bring to a boil, skim off any surface foam, add the shark fins, then move to low heat and simmer for 2 hours.
4
Step 4
Place a wok over high heat, add lard and heat to 60% of its maximum temperature. Add the soybean sprouts and stir-fry until just tender, then add Sichuan salt, stir to combine and remove from heat. Transfer the sprouts to a large round concave serving plate. Next, take the shark fins out of the cheesecloth, untie the wrapping, arrange the shark fins on top of the soybean sprouts. Then take the original braising liquid from the shark fins, bring to a boil over high heat and reduce until thickened, add MSG and sesame oil, then pour the sauce over the shark fins and serve.
