Article 100: Analysis of Famous Jiangsu Dishes (Dishes 1-5): Clear Broth Sea Cucumber, Chicken Wrapped in Shark Fin, Chicken Congee with Fish Maw, Braised Grass Carp, Frog-Style Yellow Croaker

Analysis of Famous Jiangsu Dishes

1. Clear Broth with Black Sea Cucumber

Ingredients: Main ingredient: 750g rehydrated sea cucumber. Side ingredients: 250g cooked ham slices, 75g cooked chicken skin slices, 125g pork fat, 100g cooked bamboo shoot slices. Seasonings: 3g dried shrimp, 50g cilantro, 25g Shaoxing wine, 5g salt, 25g knotted scallions, 10g ginger slices, 5g white pepper powder, 1000g chicken broth.

Preparation: (1) Wash the soaked sea cucumber, spread it out with the back facing down, slice it diagonally into pieces 3.5cm wide, make diagonal cuts halfway down on each piece, blanch it in boiling water, drain it, and then put it into a chicken broth pot to boil and remove it.

(2) Arrange the ham slices, bamboo shoot slices, and chicken skin slices neatly in a bowl, then place the sea cucumber slices on top, add scallion knots, ginger slices (crushed), Shaoxing wine, and shrimp roe, cover with pork fat, add chicken broth (250g), steam for about 20 minutes, remove, discard the pork fat, scallion knots, and ginger slices, drain the broth, and invert into a soup bowl.

(3) Place the pot on the fire, ladle in chicken broth (750g), add salt, bring to a boil and pour along the edge of the bowl (do not break it up), garnish with coriander and pepper and serve.

Quality standards: The soup is clear and bright, the sea cucumber is tender and smooth, the ham is fresh and fragrant, the chicken skin is plump and juicy, and the winter bamboo shoots are crisp and tender.

Key to the preparation: The selection of ingredients is very important for making this dish. The sea cucumbers should be large black sea cucumbers of uniform size, soaked for a period of time without over-soaking, and still elastic.

The soup should be boiled three times to achieve a clear broth.

Cross-shaped cuts should be made on the surface of the sea cucumber, with the cuts spaced far apart. When blanching the sea cucumber, it is best to put scallion knots and ginger slices in the pot. After blanching, place it skin-side down in a soup bowl (with ham or other ingredients at the bottom) and steam until thoroughly cooked and flavorful. This dish is prepared by steaming and then pouring in clear broth, so preparing the broth at the end is an important step.

2. Chicken wrapped around shark fin

Ingredients: Main ingredients: 1 whole, plucked old hen (approx. 1250g), 500g soaked shark fin (old yellow fin). Side ingredients: 25g cooked ham slices, 15g pea sprouts, 150g cooked pork fat, 1000g pork bones, 1 piece of pork skin (20cm square), 25g cooked bamboo shoot slices. Seasonings: 75g Shaoxing wine, 2.5g salt, 3g MSG, 50g knotted scallions, 50g ginger slices, 200g chicken broth, 15g cornstarch.

Preparation method: (1) Clean the chicken and debone the whole chicken (the method is the same as "Eight Treasure Duck").

(2) Cut the shark fin into two pieces, place them in a bowl, pour in chicken broth, add scallion knots (25g), ginger slices (25g), Shaoxing wine (25g), salt (5g), and MSG (1.5g), cover with pork fat, steam for 2 hours, and remove.

(3) Stuff the shark fin into the chicken's abdomen through the "cut" and tie the "cut" tightly with hemp thread. Boil in a pot of boiling water, take it out and wash it. Place it in a casserole with a bamboo mat at the bottom (chicken abdomen down). Then put in the washed chicken bones and pork bones, add 1000g of water, Shaoxing wine (50g), salt (20g), scallion knots (25g), and ginger slices (25g). Then cover the chicken back with pork skin, press it down with a round plate, cover the casserole, bring it to a boil over medium heat, and after 10 minutes, simmer over low heat for 3 hours. Take it out, remove the hemp thread, and plate it with the chicken breast facing up.

Skim off the chicken fat from the broth and set aside.

(4) Place the pot over high heat, ladle in the original broth (about 500g) from the casserole, add ham slices and bamboo shoot slices, add MSG (1.5g) and bring to a boil, thicken with cornstarch, add pea sprouts, drizzle with cooked chicken oil, and pour over the chicken.

Quality standards: The chicken is plump, the wings are tender and the meat is juicy, the sauce is clear and glossy, and the flavor is savory and rich.

Key to preparation: This dish is made by deboning a whole chicken, stuffing the cavity with shark fin, simmering it in a clay pot until tender, and then pouring in a thickened sauce.

The key to its operation is the technique of deboning the whole chicken, which removes the bones while keeping the chicken skin intact; the second is the steaming of the shark fin to infuse it with flavor.

Shark fin is bland and tasteless, so it must be enhanced with flavorful ingredients and certain seasonings to make it delicious and remove any unpleasant odors. Therefore, the steaming process of shark fin is crucial to the quality of the dish. Secondly, it is important to master the cooking temperature and the preparation of the thickening sauce.

3. Chicken porridge with fish maw

Ingredients: Main ingredients: 100g fried fish maw, 125g raw chicken breast. Side ingredients: 50g pork fat, 3 egg whites, 5g chopped cooked ham, a little coriander leaves. Seasonings: 5g scallion segments, 5g ginger slices, 10g scallion and ginger braising liquid, 4g salt, 1g MSG, 20g cornstarch, 1200g clear chicken broth, 100g rendered pork fat, 50g rendered chicken fat.

Preparation: (1) Chop the chicken breast and fat separately, put them in a bowl and dilute them evenly with 400g of chicken broth. Filter them with a soup strainer or gauze to remove tendons and tendons, then add egg white, wet starch, salt and MSG and stir into a thin paste.

(2) Soak the oiled fish maw in boiling water until soft, add baking soda to wash away the oil, rinse it with clean water, drain the water, and then cut it into diamond-shaped pieces about 4cm long.

(3) Heat a wok, add water and bring to a boil, add the fish maw to blanch, boil for a while, then remove and drain.

Heat a wok over high heat, add chicken broth, and simmer the fish maw with scallions, ginger slices, and salt until flavorful. Remove the fish maw, drain the broth, and discard the scallions and ginger.

(4) Heat a wok over a fire, add 200g of chicken broth, bring to a boil, then slowly pour in the raw chicken paste while stirring with a ladle until it becomes thick. Add lard and continue stirring. Drizzle in cooked chicken oil and remove from heat. First, put 1/2 of the mixture into a soup bowl, then pour the fish maw into the pot and mix it with the chicken porridge. Pour the mixture into the soup bowl, sprinkle with chopped ham, and add coriander leaves.

Quality Standard: The chicken congee is white and glossy, resembling rice congee in appearance. It has a fresh and savory flavor, a delicate and smooth texture, tender fish maw, and is garnished with diced ham and cilantro leaves. The red, white, and green colors are interspersed, creating a light, elegant, and unique color scheme.

Key to operation: The preparation of the raw chicken is crucial to the thickness, consistency, and texture of the chicken porridge.

The process of heating raw chicken congee into a porridge-like consistency is the result of chicken mince and starch absorbing water and swelling. Therefore, the ratio of chicken mince, starch, and clear chicken broth must be appropriate.

In addition, the coarseness of the chicken breast pieces and the amount of salt used also have a significant impact on the formation of chicken porridge.

Generally, the finer the chicken breast is chopped, the better. With the help of a suitable amount of salt, the chicken paste absorbs water more effectively, making the chicken porridge smoother. The stir-frying of chicken porridge is the process of raw chicken paste forming porridge under heat. Therefore, the use of fire and the stir-frying method have a direct impact on the formation of chicken porridge.

When stir-frying, the fire should be strong, and the chicken broth in the pot should be boiled before slowly pouring in the chicken porridge, stirring with a ladle as you pour to ensure the porridge is heated evenly.

If the raw chicken porridge is put into the pot and the chicken broth does not reach a certain temperature, the porridge will stay in the pot for a longer time. In addition, with constant stirring, the porridge may become thinner and less elastic.

Meanwhile, slowly adding the raw chicken porridge paste to the pot makes it easier to control the thickness of the porridge. If it becomes too thick or too thin, remedial measures can be taken in time to ensure the quality of the porridge.

4. Grass carp shakes off the water

Ingredients: Main ingredient: 1 grass carp tail (about 500g). Seasonings: 75g Shaoxing wine, 50g soy sauce, 30g white sugar, 10g scallion segments, 5g minced ginger, 30g cornstarch, 10g sesame oil, 100g rendered pork fat.

Preparation: (1) Wash the tail of the grass carp and make 5 cuts along the length (do not cut the tail fins).

(2) Place the wok over high heat, add the rendered pork fat, heat it to 50% heat, add the scallion segments, stir-fry until the scallions turn yellow and fragrant, then remove them.

Place the fish tail in the pan and lightly fry until golden brown. Flip it over and fry the other side. Add Shaoxing wine, minced ginger, soy sauce, sugar, and water. Cover the pan and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 7-8 minutes. Turn the heat to high to thicken the sauce. Thicken with cornstarch slurry, drizzle with sesame oil, and toss the pan to flip the fish tail over. Arrange the fish tail neatly on a plate and serve.

Quality standards: The sauce is glossy red, the meat is tender and flavorful, and the taste is slightly sweet with a hint of saltiness.

Key to preparation: This dish uses only the tail section of the fish for braising. Grass carp is the best choice because its tail meat is rich in fat and contains abundant phosphorus, making it extremely delicious.

Cut the prepared fish tail section lengthwise into 5 cuts, which means 6 pieces of fish meat for each tail fin. This makes it easier for the fish to absorb flavor and gives it a neat appearance. When frying the fish, the oil should be hot and the pan should be smooth. Shake and flip the pan quickly. When braising, bring the water to a boil over high heat, skim off any foam, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until the sauce is almost level with the fish tail. Then, turn the heat back up to high to thicken the sauce.

5. Frog-style Yellow Croaker

Ingredients: Main ingredient: 2 fresh yellow croakers (about 1000g). Side ingredients: 25g white cake, 1 cooked and rehydrated shiitake mushroom, 1 red bell pepper, 3 leafy greens. Seasonings: 50g Shaoxing wine, 5g salt, 10g scallions, 10g ginger, 15g sugar, 5g white vinegar, 50g cornstarch slurry, 50g cornstarch slurry, 100g tomato sauce, 3 eggs, 100g flour, 2500g vegetable oil (about 150g used).

Preparation: (1) Clean the yellow croaker, cut off the dorsal fin, leaving the pectoral and caudal fins, and cut open the abdomen from the anus to the neck for later use.

(2) Cut the knife into the spine from 2/5 of the back behind the fish head, and then cut towards the tail to make the fish into two pieces.

Then remove the spine and make diagonal, shuttle-shaped cuts on both pieces of fish meat to create the "frog's" hind legs.

Use scissors to make a strip about 3cm wide on the ventral skin of the pectoral fins at a slight angle forward, to make the "frog's" two forelimbs.

Crack the eggs and mix them with flour to make an egg batter.

(3) Marinate the repaired fish with Shaoxing wine (30g), salt (3g), ginger and scallions for a while, wash it, pat it dry with starch, dip it in egg batter, place it in a strainer, shape it into a frog jumping, fry it in oil at 80% heat until cooked, remove it, put it back into the oil and fry until crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

Carve white cake and shiitake mushrooms into eyes and embed them in the fish's eyes. Fry red peppers in oil to make frog tongues and put them in the fish's mouth.

Trim the leafy greens into lotus leaf shapes, fry them in oil, and then place them on a long plate.

Plate the fried "frog".

(4) Prepare a sauce by mixing tomato sauce, white sugar, salt (2g), and white vinegar. Thicken the sauce with cornstarch and pour it over the "frog".

Quality standards: The color is bright red, the shape is beautiful and lifelike, the yellow croaker is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and the taste is moderately sweet and sour.

Key to the preparation: This dish is yellow croaker with tomato sauce. The cooking method is simmering. Like squirrel yellow croaker and golden lionfish, the focus is on the presentation. The yellow croaker is made into a "frog" that is about to jump, giving people a sense of beauty.

The key to making this dish lies in its shape. The two hind legs of the "frog" are formed by two pieces of fish meat with the tail, and the two front legs of the "frog" are formed by two pieces of fish meat that are stretched from the middle of the fish belly forward to the pectoral fin. The fish meat should be scored with cross-shaped cuts, dipped in egg batter, and placed in a strainer. Hold the head upright with the left hand, and roll the front and back legs outward with the right hand to make the "frog" sit.

When deep-frying, use a chopstick to support the fish's mouth, and use a ladle in your right hand to scoop oil onto the fish's body to fix its shape. Then, deep-fry it again in hot oil until it is cooked through and crispy on the outside.

Finally, when pouring the tomato sauce, use a slotted spoon to support the "frog" while it's on the pot.