Chicken Stuffed with Shark’s Fin

Chicken Stuffed with Shark’s Fin

　　Chicken Stuffed with Shark’s Fin

　　　Characteristics:

　　Brightly colored, beautifully shaped, richly aromatic shark’s fin, tender and juicy chicken. Suitable for winter consumption.

　　Ingredients:

　　250g soaked shark’s fin, one young hen (about 750g).

　　25g ham, 25g winter bamboo shoots, 100g pork, 25g spinach hearts. 25g lard, 10g soy sauce, 1g pepper, [unit missing] salt, 15g cooking wine, 15g each of ginger and scallions, 10g chicken oil, 25g second broth.

　　Preparation:

　　After slaughtering and plucking the young hen, make an incision near the wing root to remove the internal organs. Wash and set aside the leg and neck bones. Rinse the soaked shark’s fin and blanch it twice in boiling water to eliminate fishy taste. Then add ginger, scallions, and cooking wine, bring to a boil in hot water, and blanch the shark’s fin twice before setting aside. Dice the ham and winter bamboo shoots into coarse shreds, mix with the shark’s fin, and stuff the mixture into the chicken cavity. Wrap the chicken tightly with clean cheesecloth and place it in a dish with the opening facing upwards. Cut the pork into 3.3cm-long strips, and chop the chicken leg and neck bones into 3.3cm-long pieces. Heat the wok over a flame, add lard and heat until 50% hot (approx. 110°C), then add the pork and chicken bones. Add soy sauce, pepper, salt, cooking wine, ginger, scallions, and second broth. Once it boils, skim off the foam and pour into a stew pot. Place the wrapped chicken in the pot. After it comes to a boil, simmer over low heat until the chicken is tender and the shark’s fin is soft. Remove, unwrap the cheesecloth, arrange the chicken on a plate, and surround it with blanched spinach hearts. Reduce the stewing liquid in an iron pot until thickened, drizzle with chicken oil, and pour the sauce over the chicken before serving.