Ingredients
750 g (about 1 1/2 lbs) live softshell turtle, 50 g (about 1/4 cup) pork fatback, 50 g (about 1/4 cup) cooked Chinese yam, 30 g (about 1/4 cup) cooked winter bamboo shoots, 20 g (about 1/4 cup) rehydrated wood ear mushrooms.
Seasonings
Pork broth 100 ml (about 1/2 cup), rendered lard 35 g (about 2 1/2 tablespoons), Shaoxing wine 30 ml (about 2 tablespoons), scallions, sesame oil, and cornstarch 25 g each (about 2 tablespoons each), ginger 15 g (about 1-inch piece), salt and garlic 10 g each (about 2 teaspoons each), rock sugar 7.5 g (about 1 1/2 teaspoons), granulated sugar 5 g (about 1 teaspoon).
Instructions
1. Kill the turtle, blanch it briefly in boiling water, scrape off the black skin, remove the innards, wash clean, and chop into pieces. Place the turtle eggs in a bowl, add scallion, ginger, Shaoxing wine, and salt, then steam in a steamer until cooked and remove. Place a bamboo mat in the pot, arrange the turtle pieces in the pot, and top with slices of pork fat.
2. In a separate pan over heat, add oil and fry the scallions and ginger until golden and fragrant, then remove them and place on top of the pork fat slices. Pour the oil into the turtle pot, add Shaoxing wine, cover, and briefly cook over high heat. Add pork broth, bring to a boil, then reduce to medium heat and cook for 30 minutes. Add salt and garlic cloves, continue cooking, then add crushed rock sugar and lard. Simmer over low heat for 2 hours until tender and falling apart. Discard the scallions and ginger, then reduce the sauce over high heat until thickened, and remove from heat.
3. Arrange the turtle pieces in several bowls and evenly pour the braising liquid over them; heat a wok over high heat, add lard, fry the scallion segments until fragrant, then add the bamboo shoot pieces, Chinese yam pieces, wood ear mushrooms, and turtle eggs, season with Shaoxing wine, salt, and sugar, briefly cook, then add one bowl of turtle pieces to the wok, pour in pork broth and bring to a boil, cover and reduce to low heat, simmer until the sauce thickens, then return to high heat and stir in a moderate amount of water starch to thicken, drizzle with lard and sesame oil, remove from the wok and plate. The turtle meat is tender and falls off the bone, the calipash is translucent and glossy, the sauce is sticky like glue, and the flavor is savory with a hint of sweetness.