Sea, Land and Sky Softshell Turtle Hot Pot
Ingredients and Preparation Method for Sea, Land, and Air Soft-Shell Turtle Hot Pot
Ingredients
Ginseng
10 g
Adenophora root (Sha Shen)
15 g
Lily bulbs
20 g
Dried tangerine peel strips
5 g
Lotus seeds
20 g
Chinese yam
20 g
Goji berries
10 g
Dang gui (Angelica sinensis)
5 g
Chopped green onions
50 g
Salt
8 g
Baijiu (Chinese liquor)
55 g
MSG and chicken powder (15 g each)
15 g
White pepper powder
2 g
Water
6 kg
Minced cilantro and ginger (30 g each)
30 g
Instructions
1
Step 1
Soak the dried squid and dried mussels in hot water for 12 hours, then wash them clean. Wash the old hen, cut into four large pieces, and blanch to remove the blood. Wash the pork bone, blanch, and drain.
2
Step 2
Take a stainless steel pot and add the dried squid, dried mussels, old hen, pork bone, and water. Bring to a boil over high heat, skim off the foam, reduce to medium heat and cook for 4 hours, then turn to high heat and boil for 30 minutes to make a milky broth.
3
Step 3
Clean the black-bone chicken and pigeon, place them in a pot of cold water, bring to a boil, skim off the foam, simmer over low heat for 30 minutes, then remove and set aside.
4
Step 4
Take two small wine cups, pour in the baijiu, and add the softshell turtle blood to the cups. Make an incision under the skirt edge, remove the turtle's internal organs, and wash clean with water. Pierce the turtle's gall bladder with a toothpick, place it into the cup and stir. Blanch the turtle in hot water at 90°C for 1 minute, then use a new steel wool pad to remove the black membrane from the shell, and tear off the black membrane on the neck and belly by hand.
5
Step 5
Soak all the Chinese medicinal ingredients in hot water until softened, then wash them clean. Use a toothpick to push out the bitter green core from the lotus seeds.
6
Step 6
Take a 38 cm-diameter stainless steel basin. Add the soaked Chinese medicinal ingredients along with the prepared black-bone chicken, pigeon, and softshell turtle. Add the MSG, salt, chicken powder, and white pepper. Ladle in the milky broth, stir well, and bring to the table. Light the burner and bring to a boil before serving. Serve the turtle gall bladder, turtle blood, minced ginger, chopped green onions, and minced cilantro on the side for diners to add.
7
Step 7
The dried squid and dried mussels must be soaked in hot water for a full 12 hours, otherwise the flavor will be affected.
8
Step 8
When the hot pot is brought to the table, ladle a bowl of broth for each guest first to drink, then begin eating the black-bone chicken, pigeon, softshell turtle, and Chinese medicinal ingredients.
9
Step 9
Alkaline hot pot ingredients such as water-raised tripe and beef aorta (yellow throat) are not recommended to be served together with this hot pot.
10
Step 10
The milky broth must be thick enough and snow white in color.
11
Step 11
Because this hot pot base contains a lot of meat ingredients, both the guests' ordering and the kitchen's preparation should follow a ratio of more vegetables and less meat.
12
Step 12
Choose softshell turtles weighing 600-700 g; the black-bone chicken should not exceed 1 kg.
