Tuogou Softshell Turtle

Tuogou Softshell Turtle

　　Tuogou Softshell Turtle

　　All along, I didn’t dare to eat softshell turtles or turtles, and I couldn’t really explain why (maybe it’s because their heads look similar to snake heads—I’m most afraid of snakes). Whenever a whole turtle was served, I wouldn’t dare touch my chopsticks. Seeing others feast on it, I could only feel envious, yet I just couldn’t cross my psychological barrier to try even a bite of steamed turtle.

　　Once, while dining at “Taoming Fishing Village” in Tuogou, when a plate of fragrant red-braised softshell turtle was served, I had no idea turtles could be cooked this way at first. Not knowing what it was, I took a bite—and it tasted incredibly fresh, rich but not greasy, bursting with flavor upon entry. Just as I was about to ask the server what dish it was, someone at the table told me it was turtle, and wild turtle at that, which explained why it was especially delicious. I was puzzled—how had I so easily picked up my chopsticks? Why wasn’t there any disgust in my heart? Instead, I felt an urge to have another bite.

　　After the meal, I quietly went to the kitchen to ask the chef about the recipe for red-braised softshell turtle. The chef, a very amiable master, kindly and in detail explained the cooking method and ingredients. Main ingredients: one locally sourced wild softshell turtle (about 1000g), 250g pork, 250g chicken, 50g lard, 10 garlic cloves, 2 cups premium stock, a pinch each of pepper and sesame oil, appropriate amounts of soy sauce, ginger slices, and scallion whites. Method: 1. Tie the turtle’s head with hemp rope and hang it up. Use a knife to puncture the neck and let the blood drain, then chop off the head and claws. Boil it in rolling water until the shell loosens, then remove the shell and internal organs. Tear off the skirt edge by hand and cut the meat into pieces. Rinse clean. 2. Select streaky pork, scrub clean, and cut into pieces; do the same with the chicken. Boil the pork and chicken together in hot water, then remove. Heat lard in a wok until 60% hot, add smashed ginger and scallion whites to release fragrance, then stir-fry the chicken and pork. Add the turtle, salt, soy sauce, cooking wine, and fresh broth, then simmer over low heat until cooked. 3. Steam the garlic until cooked. When the turtle is done, add pepper and garlic to thicken the sauce. Then discard the ginger, scallions, and meat pieces. Transfer the turtle to a serving plate. Mix MSG, sesame oil, and the special sauce from “Taoming Fishing Village,” then pour it over the turtle. This delicious “Red-Braised Softshell Turtle” dish has now spread with “Taoming Fishing Village” to regions like southern Jiangsu and Shanghai, its aroma wafting across the land, winning praise and admiration from many diners.

　　Tuogou is located in a lake area, surrounded by water on three sides, with lush aquatic plants and abundant wild aquatic products such as crabs, eels, and softshell turtles—especially the latter, which is particularly famous. The town has registered two turtle brands: “Tuogou Softshell Turtle” and “Shuanghu Brand Chinese Softshell Turtle.” The latter has been certified as a provincial pollution-free aquatic product. The scientific name for softshell turtle is Chinese softshell turtle, a reptilian cold-blooded animal that lives in slow-moving freshwater areas rich in fish and shrimp, such as rivers, lakes, ponds, and reservoirs. It also often appears in mountain streams. It’s more active along quiet, clean, and sunny shores, sometimes coming ashore but never straying too far from water. It can crawl or climb on land, swim freely in water, and loves basking in the sun or cooling off in the breeze.

　　The Chinese softshell turtle is a precious aquatic animal with high economic value. In China, it’s widely regarded as a top choice for gourmet dining and used as a tonic food for dietary therapy. The history of eating turtle dates back to the Zhou Dynasty or even earlier. Turtle meat is delicious, nutritious, and high in protein, with the skirt edge being an especially popular delicacy. Tests show that 100g of turtle meat contains 16.5g of protein. Additionally, it is rich in calcium, phosphorus, iron, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin A, and other nutrients. The Chinese softshell turtle is also a valuable medicinal ingredient. Its components include animal gelatin, keratin, vitamin D, and iodine, offering benefits such as nourishing yin and clearing heat, soothing liver and kidney, softening hardness and dissipating nodules, and removing stasis. Various parts—including the carapace, head, meat, blood, and gallbladder—can be used medicinally. According to *Compendium of Materia Medica*: turtle meat can treat chronic dysentery, consumption, and beriberi; turtle carapace treats bone-steaming fever, yin deficiency with wind agitation, hepatosplenomegaly, and cirrhosis; turtle blood applied externally can treat facial nerve paralysis and pediatric malnutrition fever, and mixed with wine can treat women’s blood deficiency; turtle eggs can treat chronic diarrhea; and turtle bile is effective against hemorrhoids and fistulas. Dried turtle head, known as “turtle head medicine,” can treat prolapsed anus and anal fistulas…

　　Now I understand—there are so many medicinal benefits and advantages to eating turtle, no wonder so many people love it, whether it’s steamed, red-braised, or in a turtle hotpot.