How to cook buddha jump over the wall?

How to cook buddha jump over the wall?

• Answer:

  The author writes: "This is perhaps the ultimate feast...This great dish hails from Fuzhou, in Fujian province. It requires an enormous amount of effort, is best made over a period of two days, and can contain as many as thirty different ingredients." Day 1 1/4 pound shark's fin 2 tablespoons white vinegar 1 cup stock 1/4 cup Shao-Hsing wine or dry sherry 2 ounces lard or peanut oil One 1/2-inch-thick slice fresh ginger, lightly smashed 3 scallions, white parts only 4 whole abalone 1 cup stock 2 tablespoons Shao-Hsing wine or dry sherry 4 dry scallops, each 1 inch in diameter 2 tablespoons Shao-Hsing wine or dry sherry, for scallops 12 quail eggs 3 small fresh bamboo shoots (1 1/2 pounds) 1 quart cold water, for bamboo shoots One 4-pound chicken 1/4 cup salt 1 1/2 pounds pork feet (3 halves) each half cut into 4 pieces by butcher 2 pounds lamb filet 2 1/2 pounds pork (fresh ham) 1 pound Smithfield ham 2 quarts cold water, for Smithfield ham 12 Chinese black mushrooms Day 2 2 1/2 pounds Chinese turnips, peeeled, both ends discarded, cut into 4 pieces lengthwise, then into 1-inch pieces 1 pound carrots (3 large), peeled, cut into 1-inch sections Four 3-inch-long cinnamon sticks 4 pieces eight-star anise 6 scallions, trimmed and cut into thirds 5 cups Shao-Hsing wine or dry sherry 7 cups chicken stock 6 ounces rock sugar (rock candy) - you can substitute granulated sugar 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons double dark soy sauce, regular dark soy sauce, or mushroom soy sauce 1 cup chicken stock 4 bamboo leaves, soaked in hot water for 20 minutes, until softened, and washed 1 large lotus leaf, soaked in hot water for 20 minutes until softened, washed and dried 3 1/2 cups peanut oil for deep-frying and stir-frying Directions: Day 1 1.To prepare the shark's fin, the night before, soak the fins in a bowl of water with the white vinegar for a least 4 to 6 hours, rinse, and drain. Place the soaked shark's fins in a steamproof dish with the stock, wine, lard, ginger, and scallions and steam for 30 minutes. Turn off the heat, discard the ginger and scallions, strain off and discard the liquid, and reserve overnight, refrigerated. 2.To prepare the abalone, the night before (at the same time you soak the shark's fins), wash the abalone, place in a pot with 3 quarts water, bring to a boil over medium heat, lower the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow to rest in the liquid in the pot overnight. Place the abalone in a steamproof dish with the stock and wine and steam for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until softened. Discard the liquid and reserve the abalone overnight, refrigerated. 3.To prepare the scallops, place the scallops and wine in a steamproof dish and steam for 20 minutes, until softened. Turn off the heat, discard the liquid, and reserve the scallops overnight, refrigerated. 4.To prepare the quail eggs, cook them in boiling water for about 7 minutes, until hard boiled. Remove from the pot and cool. Shell and reserve overnight, refrigerated. Remove from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature on Day 2. 5.To prepare the bamboo shoots, remove all outer husks down to the tender, cream-white core. Place the whole shoots in a pot with the water, cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. If very tender, simmer for 7 minutes; if a bit tough, simmer for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat, run cold water into the pot, and drain. Allow to cool, cut each shoot lengthwise into 4 pieces, and reserve overnight, refrigerated. 6.To prepare the chicken, wash and remove the fat and membranes. Rinse under cold running water and drain. Sprinkle the outside with the salt and rub in well. Rinse, drain, and dry. Cut the chicken into 12 pieces and reserve overnight, refrigerated. 7.To prepare the duck, prepare precisely as the chicken in the preceeding step. 8.To prepare the pork feet, cut up the pork feet, if necessary, and reserve overnight, refrigerated. 9.To prepare the lamb and pork, cut the lamb into 12 equal pieces and reserve refrigerated, overnight. Cut the pork into 12 equal pieces and reserve refrigerated, overnight. 10.To prepare the Smithfield ham, place the ham and water in a pot, cover, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Lower the heat to medium and simmer for 30 minutes. Turn off the heat, allow to rest in the liquid, and return to room temperature. Remove, discard the liquid, cut into 12 equal pieces, and reserve, refrigerated, overnight. 11.To prepare the mushrooms, soak the mushrooms in hot water for 30 minutes, until softened. Wash, drain, remove the stems, and reserve overnight, refrigerated. Day 2 1.Heat a wok over high heat for 1 minute. Add the peanut oil and heat to 350 degrees F. Place the turnips in a Chinese strainer and lower into the oil. Blanch for 2 minutes, remove, drain over a bowl, and reserve. Bring the oil back to 350 degrees F, blanch the carrots and bamboo shoots similarly