Farewell My Concubine (Steamed Chicken with Soft-shell Turtle)

Name: Farewell My Concubine (Steamed Chicken with Soft-shell Turtle)
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 1 h 15 min
Total time: 1 h 50 min
Ingredients: 1 Young pullet (about 750 g, claws trimmed, cleaned); 15 g Scallion knot; 150 g Ground chicken meat; 1500 g Chicken broth; 1 Live soft-shell turtle (about 600 g, slaughtered and scalded); 50 g Cooked lard; 50 g Cooked winter bamboo shoots; 10 g Dry starch; 40 g Cooked ham; 10 g Fine salt; 50 g Rehydrated shiitake mushrooms; 5 g MSG; 3 Baby bok choy hearts; 10 g Ginger chunks; 50 g Shaoxing wine

Made with young hen and soft-shelled turtle, this Xuzhou specialty features a distinctive presentation, tender meat, and a fresh, mellow broth.

1h 50m

Easy

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Farewell My Concubine (Steamed Chicken with Soft-shell Turtle)

Ingredients

Young pullet (about 750 g, claws trimmed, cleaned) 1

Scallion knot 15 g

Ground chicken meat 150 g

Chicken broth 1500 g

Live soft-shell turtle (about 600 g, slaughtered and scalded) 1

Cooked lard 50 g

Cooked winter bamboo shoots 50 g

Dry starch 10 g

Cooked ham 40 g

Fine salt 10 g

Rehydrated shiitake mushrooms 50 g

MSG 5 g

Baby bok choy hearts 3

Ginger chunks 10 g

Shaoxing wine 50 g

Instructions

Shaping the chicken

Trim the claws of the cleaned chicken and rinse well. Tuck the two wings through the cavity opening into the beak to form a "dragon-whiskers" shape, and prop the chicken feet against the ribs. Blanch briefly, then rinse clean.

Preparing the soft-shell turtle

After slaughtering and scalding the turtle, scrape off the black skin with a knife, lift the carapace, remove the innards, and wash clean. Blanch the turtle together with the turtle eggs in water, then rinse and place the eggs on a plate. Pat the turtle meat dry with a clean cloth and dust with a pinch of dry starch. Stuff the ground chicken and turtle eggs into the belly, then cover with the cleaned shell so the turtle resumes its original shape.

Steaming the dish

Place the chicken and the stuffed turtle back-up into a clay pot with the two heads facing opposite directions. Pour in the chicken broth, add the scallion knot, ginger chunks, Shaoxing wine, and fine salt. Steam until fully cooked, remove, and discard the scallion and ginger. Stir in the MSG and add the winter bamboo shoots, shiitake mushrooms, ham, and baby bok choy hearts. Steam for another 2 minutes and serve.