Goji Berry Sparrows
A dish made with rice-field sparrows and goji berries, traditionally believed to strengthen yang, boost essence, and nourish the liver and kidneys.
Ingredients
Sparrows (plucked, gutted, with beaks and claws removed)
10
Goji berries (washed, steamed in a small bowl until cooked)
15 g
Fine salt (seasoning)
to taste
Cooking wine (seasoning)
to taste
Sugar (seasoning)
to taste
Scallion segments (seasoning)
to taste
Sesame oil (seasoning, for drizzling)
to taste
Soy sauce (for marinating and seasoning)
to taste
Vegetable oil (for deep-frying and sautéing)
to taste
Chicken broth (for braising)
to taste
Ginger (crushed, for marinating and sautéing)
to taste
Instructions
1
Marinating Preparation
Wash the goji berries, place them in a small bowl, and steam until cooked. Pluck the sparrows, remove the innards, beaks, and claws, then mix well with soy sauce, scallions, and ginger (crushed) and set aside to marinate.
2
Deep-Frying
Heat oil in a pan to about 70 percent hot, deep-fry the sparrows until crisp, then remove and drain off the oil.
3
Braising and Reducing the Sauce
In a separate pan, heat oil and sauté scallions and ginger until fragrant. Pour in the cooking wine and chicken broth, add fine salt, soy sauce, and sugar, then place the fried sparrows into the broth. Cover the pot and simmer over low heat until the meat is tender and falling apart. Pick out the scallions and ginger, add the steamed goji berries, turn up the heat to high to reduce the sauce, drizzle with sesame oil, and serve.
