Wine-Crystallized Golden Ham
A traditional Jiangsu specialty: ripe ham is steamed with Shaoxing wine and finished with a sugar glaze, producing a refined presentation of red and white hues with a rich, mellow balance of sweet and savory flavors.
Ingredients
Jinhua-style cooked ham (with skin, cut into rectangular slices about 5 cm long, 3.5 cm wide, 0.5 cm thick)
300 g
Cooked lean ham, minced (for garnish)
4 g
Water chestnuts (washed, peeled, cut into sawtooth flower shapes)
6
Ginger
2 slices
Scallion
1
Shaoxing wine
250 g
Fine white sugar (some for steaming, some for sauce)
250 g
Cooked pork lard (for caramelizing the sugar sauce)
10 g
Instructions
1
Prepare the Water Chestnuts
Wash and peel the water chestnuts. Cut vertical sawtooth shapes around the sides, then slice each one in half crosswise to make 12 flower shapes, and place them in a dish.
2
Cut the Ham and Arrange in a Bowl
Cut the skin-on ham into rectangular slices about 5 cm long, 3.5 cm wide, and 0.5 cm thick, and arrange them skin-side down in a bowl.
3
First Steaming
Add Shaoxing wine, water, ginger slices, and scallion to the ham, then steam over boiling water for 30 minutes. Remove, drain off the liquid, add more Shaoxing wine and white sugar, and steam for another 30 minutes. Remove and unmold onto a serving plate.
4
Garnish with Water Chestnut Flowers
Place a dot of minced ham in the center of each water chestnut flower, lay them flat on the plate, sprinkle with white sugar, and steam for 2 minutes. Remove, then arrange the water chestnut flowers in a ring around the ham.
5
Pour the Sugar Sauce
Heat a wok over the flame, add the cooked pork lard and let it get hot, then add the white sugar. Pour in the original steaming liquid from the ham, push the ladle through the sauce, and once the sugar thickens and becomes sticky, remove from the heat. Spoon the sauce evenly over the ham and water chestnuts to finish.
