Clear-Braised Turtle Soup

Clear-Braised Turtle Soup

　　In Dongping County, there’s a local saying: “Eat the carp for the meat, but drink the soup of the turtle.” This means that while carp is valued for its flesh, the turtle (commonly called “wangba” or “turtle”) is best enjoyed for its broth. Because turtles are highly nutritious and most suitable for making soup, which enhances their tonic effects, they are typically prepared as soup.

　　The basic method for making turtle soup is as follows: take one live freshwater turtle (about 1 kg), half a raw chicken (about 200 g), and a small amount of scallions, ginger, and sliced garlic as ingredients. Prepare 50 g of clear stock, 10 g of cooking wine, 3 g of salt, 2 g of MSG, 30 g of peanut oil, 5 g of sesame oil, and 2 star anise as seasonings.

　　Chop off the turtle’s head, drain the blood, wash it clean, then briefly blanch it in boiling water and remove. Scrape off the black skin, then boil it again for about 5 minutes before removing. Pry open the hard shell, take out the internal organs, chop off the tips of the claws, and cut the turtle and chicken into cubes. Blanch them in boiling water. Scrape off any dirt or thin membrane from the hard shell.

　　Heat peanut oil in a wok over high heat, add scallions, ginger, garlic slices, and star anise to stir-fry until fragrant. Pour in the clear stock and cooking wine, add the turtle and chicken cubes, bring to a boil, and skim off the foam. Reduce to medium heat and simmer for about 45 minutes until the turtle and chicken are tender and the soup turns milky white. Then turn up the heat, add salt, MSG, and sesame oil, adjust the flavor, and it’s done.

　　Flavor Profile: The soup has a milky-yellow hue with an exceptionally rich and savory taste.