Stir-fried Sparrow Head and Breast
A traditional Jiangsu specialty: crispy sparrow heads, tender sparrow breast, light golden in color, with a fresh, savory flavor.
Ingredients
Sparrows (pluck feathers, split from the back to remove the breast bone, chop off beak tips and claw tips, remove both eyes, wash)
10
Rendered pork lard
500 g (actual consumption 75 g)
Scallion white segments
15 g
Ginger slices
10 g
Garlic cloves
15 g
Soy sauce
30 g
Vinegar
15 g
Sugar
25 g
Shaoxing wine
15 g
Dry starch
15 g
Sesame oil
10 g
Instructions
1
Initial preparation
Pluck the feathers from the sparrows, split from the back to remove the breast bone, chop off the beak tips and claw tips, remove both eyes, and wash clean. Separate the sparrow heads and breasts, flatten the heads with the blade of a knife, and slice the breast meat into thin pieces.
2
Blanch and wash
Plunge the heads and breasts separately into boiling water briefly, then lift out and wash.
3
Frying
Heat a wok over the fire, add the rendered pork lard and bring it to about 40% hot (around 100 °C). Coat the sparrow heads and breasts with dry starch and lower them into the oil; fry until golden yellow, then pour into a strainer to drain the oil.
4
Seasoning and finishing
Return the wok to the heat with a little oil, add the scallion white segments, ginger slices, and garlic cloves and fry until fragrant. Add the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, Shaoxing wine, and a small amount of water, bring to a boil, and thicken with a starch slurry. Add the sparrow heads and breasts, drizzle in the sesame oil, toss the wok, and plate to serve.
