Two-Jin Stuffing

Two-Jin Stuffing

　　Two-Jin Stuffing

　　During the Republican era, Two-Jin Stuffing was one of the traditional signature dishes of Wu Zhenmao in Jiaxing. It consists of one meat-stuffed fried gluten ball, five tofu skin-wrapped meat rolls, and one shiitake mushroom, all placed in an earthenware jar. The ingredients are combined with chicken broth, ham slices, winter bamboo shoots, sugar, wine, and other seasonings. The jar is sealed with cotton paper and steamed in a steamer basket. The dish pairs well with alcohol, while the soup complements rice. It’s said that this dish was once popular among late Qing-era Beijing officials originally from Jiaxing. Attempts to revive it in the 1980s failed to match its historic flavor.

　　Delicate and smooth bean starch skin wraps around shrimp, while the translucent flesh of silver carp envelops crab roe. A bite into the shrimp tofu skin wrap delivers a rich, tender flavor; a taste of the crab roe fish gluten offers freshness and silkiness; and a sip of the soup reveals a pure taste with a strong ginger aroma. This dish is called New Two-Jin Stuffing.

　　　　If there's a New Two-Jin Stuffing, then surely there’s an “Old Two-Jin Stuffing”? Yes. The “Old Two-Jin Stuffing” is commonly known in the Jiangsu-Zhejiang region as “meat-stuffed fried gluten balls” or simply “fried gluten.”

　　　　Two-Jin Stuffing was included in the Chinese Cookbook as early as the 1970s. The cooking method involves one meat-stuffed fried gluten ball, five tofu skin-wrapped meat rolls, and one shiitake mushroom, all placed in an earthenware jar. The ingredients are combined with chicken broth, ham slices, winter bamboo shoots, sugar, wine, and other seasonings. The jar is sealed with cotton paper and steamed in a steamer basket. It’s said that this dish was once popular among late Qing-era Beijing officials originally from Jiaxing. In the 1980s, attempts were made to revive it, but the flavor didn’t reach the original standard.

　　　　In 2012, ingenious chefs in Jiaxing, driven by a more health-conscious and wellness-focused philosophy, modified the Two-Jin Stuffing dish and innovated a “new Two-Jin Stuffing that surpasses the old.”

　　　　One innovation was replacing the fried gluten ball with a more eco-friendly rural rice flour skin, resulting in a texture smoother than tofu skin and an appearance similar to tofu wrappers. The second innovation replaced pork filling with river shrimp filling—peeled and minced shrimp that deliver a fresher, more tender taste. The third innovation used silver carp to make fish gluten that wraps crab roe, with ginger and Chinese flowering cabbage used as auxiliary ingredients to eliminate fishy odors.

　　　　The New Two-Jin Stuffing uses crabs exclusively from Jiaxing’s unique South Lake, which are tender and flavorful. The rice flour skin comes from the hearths of Pinghu farms—flat, smooth, soft, and golden in color. The fish gluten is made from silver carp sourced from Xiangjia Pond in Qixing Town, Jiaxing, known for its tender and smooth flesh. Crab clears heat, disperses blood stasis, and aids in bone healing; shrimp nourishes kidneys and boosts yang, while resolving phlegm and stimulating appetite; fish gluten supplements qi, benefits kidneys; and ginger detoxifies, dispels cold, relieves cough, and resolves phlegm—it’s truly a health-enhancing delicacy.

　　　　Ingredients: 250g Chinese mitten crabs, 150g fresh shrimp, 100g silver carp fillet, 50g pork tenderloin, 250g Pinghu rice flour skin, 75g water-soaked water chestnuts, 50g green cabbage hearts, 10g Xinfeng tender ginger, 75g clove radish, 50g ham slices.

　　　　Seasonings: 10g scallions, 7g fine salt, 5g chicken essence, 5ml balsamic vinegar, 10g cornstarch, 1000ml clear broth, 50ml chicken oil, 5ml Shaoxing wine, 75g garden mustard greens.

　　　　Cooking Method: Stew

　　　　1. Cook South Lake Chinese mitten crabs, extract the crab roe, stir-fry with minced scallions and a touch of vinegar, then shape into crab roe balls. Remove skin, bones, and spines from silver carp fillet, mince into paste, add ginger juice, beat until firm, and shape into fish balls. Dice fresh shrimp and pork tenderloin into granules, coarsely mash soaked water chestnuts, coat with batter, and beat into firm shrimp and tenderloin filling.

　　　　2. Trim green cabbage hearts into delicate shapes, embed with clove radish. Carve tender ginger into phoenix flower shapes using flower-carving techniques. Slice ham into rectangular pieces.

　　　　3. Insert crab roe filling into fish balls. Heat salad oil to 150°C, use the deep-frying method to make them into crab roe fish gluten.

　　　　4. Cut Pinghu rice flour skin into square pieces, wrap with shrimp and tenderloin filling into rectangular shapes, and lightly deep-fry in oil at 210°C.

　　　　5. Combine crab roe fish gluten, square rice flour skin wraps, trimmed cabbage hearts, ham slices, julienned ginger, along with clear broth and seasonings, portion into cups, and steam over simmering water for 10 minutes.

　　　　Characteristics: Tender, smooth, and silky; the broth is clear and pure in flavor.