Braised Turtle in Soy Sauce

Braised Turtle in Soy Sauce

　　Braised Turtle in Soy Sauce

　　Braised Turtle in Soy Sauce is one of the emerging signature dishes of Dongping County since the 1990s, and has become commonly found in hotels and restaurants in recent years. Basic preparation: prepare one live freshwater turtle (

　　about 1000 grams), half a raw chicken (about 300 grams), a small amount of scallions, ginger, and sliced garlic. Use 500 grams of clear broth, 500 grams of peanut oil, 20 grams of soy sauce, 20 grams of yellow wine, 10 grams of vinegar, 20 grams of cornstarch water, 10 grams of prickly ash oil, and 1 star anise.

　　Place the turtle belly-up on the cutting board, and when its head extends out, chop it off to bleed the turtle. Then place the turtle in boiling water for three minutes, remove it, and scrape off the black membrane on the back shell and skirt edge with a knife. Remove the white skin from the four feet, then wash clean. Chop off the feet and tail, split the turtle vertically along the center of the belly bone, remove the internal organs, cut off the back shell, and cut each piece into four sections (some also cut the shell together with the meat into chunks). Dice the raw chicken and place it in a basin, mix with a little soy sauce, and marinate briefly.

　　Then, heat peanut oil in a wok until it is 90% hot, add the turtle and chicken pieces, and deep-fry over high heat until they turn red (do not fry the skirt edge). Remove them from the oil.

　　Add a little lard to the wok, heat over high heat, add scallions, ginger, sliced garlic, and star anise to stir-fry until fragrant. Pour in soy sauce, cooking wine, and clear broth, then add the turtle, skirt edge, and chicken pieces. Bring to a boil, skim off the foam, cover, and simmer over low heat for about

　　1 hour, until the turtle and chicken are tender and the soup is reduced to one-third. Then increase the heat, add MSG, thicken the sauce with cornstarch, and drizzle with prickly ash oil before serving.

　　Flavor profile of this dish: bright red color, rich and delicious taste.