Ingredients
250 g chicken broth, 300 g water-soaked shark fin, 50 g chicken breast, 25 g each of winter bamboo shoots, shiitake mushrooms, and cooked ham.
Seasonings
25 g each of lard and vegetable oil, 20 g each of Shaoxing wine and dried potato starch, 15 g each of scallion, ginger, and egg white, 10 g chicken fat, 3 g salt, 2 g white pepper, 0.5 g MSG.
Instructions
1. Rinse the water-soaked shark fin twice, then briefly soak in cold water, drain, and wrap in cheesecloth; blanch the chicken carcass to remove blood foam, place it at the bottom of a pot, then layer the wrapped shark fin on top, add scallions, ginger, cooking wine, and chicken broth, bring to a boil over high heat, skim off any foam, then reduce to low heat and simmer until the shark fin is tender and soft.
2. Remove the sinew and fat from the chicken breast, then cut into fine shreds; separately shred the winter bamboo shoots, shiitake mushrooms, and cooked ham, then blanch the bamboo shoots and mushrooms and drain well; mix the chicken shreds with cooking wine, white pepper, and salt, then coat with egg white and cornstarch slurry.
3. Heat lard in a wok until hot, then slide in the chicken shreds and cook until just done. Add the winter mushrooms, winter bamboo shoots, and cooked ham, stir-fry briefly. Pour in some chicken broth, salt, Shaoxing wine, and white pepper, stirring to combine and season. Remove the solids with a slotted spoon, drain off the liquid, and spread them on a serving plate as the base. Retrieve the softened, braised shark fin from its cloth bundle and unwrap the gauze.
4. Heat oil in a wok, add scallions and ginger, stir-fry until fragrant, then strain the reserved braising liquid from the shark fin into the wok; discard the scallions and ginger, add the shark fin and season, once flavored, remove and neatly arrange on top of the three shreds; thicken the liquid in the wok with a cornstarch slurry to a glossy, medium-thick consistency, add a drizzle of chicken fat and MSG to taste, then pour over the shark fin and serve. This dish is milky white in color, with tender-crisp three shreds and soft, succulent shark fin in a rich, aromatic sauce.