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Buddha jumps over the wall
佛跳墙 fó tiào qiáng: a simplified home version of Fuzhou's slow-braised banquet soup
Legend in Fuzhou says the smell of this soup was so tempting that a monk climbed the monastery wall to taste it, and it is still the grandest dish at Fujian wedding banquets and Lunar New Year. Restaurant versions pack in a dozen expensive dried seafoods; this home version keeps the spirit with chicken, pork ribs, dried scallops, shiitake, taro and quail eggs, and leaves out shark fin and any endangered ingredient entirely. Everything simmers sealed for hours until the broth is golden, rich and lightly sticky, tasting of the sea, mushrooms and rice wine. Serve it in small bowls as the centrepiece of a celebration meal, with plain rice. Chef's tip: seal the pot with foil under the lid and resist peeking; the steam that stays inside is what makes the broth so intense.
- Total time
- 240 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the dried ingredients
For the meat
For the braise
Method
0/12 doneStep 1: Soak 1 ⅜ oz dried scallops and 8 dried shiitake mushrooms in 2 cups hot water for 1 hour, until soft. Squeeze the mushrooms, cut off the stems and halve the caps; tear the scallops into shreds. Strain and keep the soaking liquid.
60 minStep 2: Meanwhile, put 12 quail eggs in a small pan of cold water, bring to the boil and cook for 4 minutes. Cool in cold water and peel.
8 minStep 3: Put 2 lb bone-in chicken thighs and 1 ⅛ lb pork spare ribs in a large pot of cold water, bring to the boil and blanch for 4 minutes. Drain and rinse off the scum. Wash the board and knife used for the raw meat.
10 minStep 4: Heat 4 tbsp neutral oil in a wok over a medium-high heat. Fry 10 ½ oz taro for 5–6 minutes, turning, until golden on all sides; this stops it dissolving in the long braise. Lift out.
6 minStep 5: In the same oil, brown the chicken skin side down and the ribs for 5 minutes, then lift out.
5 minStep 6: Fry 1 ⅜ oz fresh ginger and 4 spring onions in the wok for 1 minute until fragrant, then pour in ¾ cup Shaoxing rice wine and let it bubble for 30 seconds, scraping up the browned bits.
2 minStep 7: Layer a large lidded clay pot or heavy casserole: ribs at the bottom, then chicken, shiitake, scallops and 5 ½ oz bamboo shoots, with the taro on top. Pour over the ginger mixture, the mushroom soaking liquid, 6 ¼ cups chicken stock, 2 tbsp light soy sauce and ½ oz rock sugar. The liquid should just cover everything.
Step 8: Heat the oven to 300°F (275°F fan). Bring the pot to a simmer on the hob, cover tightly with a sheet of foil, then the lid.
10 minStep 9: Braise in the oven for 2½ hours without opening the pot. A common mistake is boiling it on a high flame instead: the broth turns cloudy, the taro breaks up and the meat dries out.
150 minStep 10: Uncover, add the quail eggs and the abalone with its liquid if using, and push them under the broth. Cover again and return to the oven for 15 minutes.
15 minStep 11: Check that the chicken comes away from the bone easily and is well over 165°F (165 °F) at the thickest part. Skim off excess fat and season with ½ tsp salt.
Step 12: Serve in the pot at the table, ladling some of each ingredient and plenty of broth into small bowls.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520 kcal
- Protein
- 46 g
- Carbs
- 22 g
- Fat
- 27 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does buddha jumps over the wall take?
- About 240 minutes in total: 60 minutes to prepare and 180 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of dried shiitake mushrooms?
- Aubergine, diced, same weight.
- What can I use instead of quail eggs?
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg, left for 5 minutes (baking only; vegan).
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