Braised Camel’s Hoof

Braised Camel’s Hoof

　　Camel’s hoof refers to the foot of a camel, which mainly inhabits the desert and grassland regions of Inner Mongolia. The flavor of camel’s hoof is extremely delicious and eating it is believed to strengthen tendons and bones. Like bear’s paw, camel’s hoof is considered a rare delicacy. As early as the Han Dynasty, there was a dish called “Camel Hoof Soup,” which became a famous imperial dish through the ages. The Ming Dynasty’s *Compendium of Materia Medica* states: “The hump and hoof of domestic camels are the most exquisite, and people often boil them and serve them as fermented food.” In Inner Mongolia, people particularly enjoy eating camel’s hoof. Camels, mainly from the desert and grassland regions of Inner Mongolia, are large-bodied with well-developed muscles, and their humps and hooves can be made into famous dishes. The hump meat is delicate, rich, and juicy, making it one of the prized foods in cuisine. The flavor of the camel’s hoof is also very delicious, and it is believed to strengthen tendons and bones. “Braised Camel’s Hoof,” paired with vegetable hearts, offers a perfect blend of meat and vegetables—rich but not greasy—and is one of the nourishing dishes for autumn and winter.

　　Preparation: Clean the camel’s hoof and hoof core, briefly blanch them in boiling water, then remove and rinse. Place the hoof core in a pot, add fresh ginger, scallions, and water, and cook until 80% done, then remove. After cooling, slice into 1 cm thick rounds, place in a large bowl, and add cooking wine and chicken broth. Add an appropriate amount of bone-in chicken and duck meat, which has been briefly blanched in boiling water, into the bowl as well. Then add scallions, ginger, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, cooking wine, soy sauce, and steam until cooked. Remove from the steamer and take out the sliced hooves. Heat peanut oil in a wok until hot, add ginger slices and scallion sections to stir-fry, then add cooking wine. Remove the scallions and ginger, add chicken broth, water, hoof slices, a small amount of salt, MSG, soy sauce, and cooking wine. Braise until the sauce thickens, then add a small amount of cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce. Drizzle with hot oil, transfer to a plate, and serve.

　　Dish: Made by steaming and braising camel’s hoof with chicken and duck. The finished dish has a deep red color, with the camel’s hoof being soft, tender, and full of umami.

　　In Chapter 53 of *Dream of the Red Chamber*, titled “Wu Jinxiang Delivers the Rent,” the list of tributes includes “twenty pairs of bear’s paws.” “Braised Camel’s Hoof” was originally “Braised Bear’s Paw,” but due to bears being protected wildlife…