Buddha Jumps Over the Wall (佛跳墙 (Fó tiào qiáng))

Overview

Buddha Jumps Over the Wall is a famous luxury soup of Fuzhou in Fujian province and one of the best-known dishes of Min cuisine. Many costly ingredients are prepared one by one, often over two days: abalone, sea cucumber, dried scallops, fish maw, quail eggs, chicken, duck, Jinhua ham, pork tendon, mushrooms and bamboo shoots. Traditionally shark fin was included, but many cooks now leave it out. Everything is layered in a ceramic Shaoxing wine jar with a rich stock and wine, sealed and simmered slowly for many hours. The broth becomes deep and rich, and the jar is opened at the table.

History

The soup is said to have been created in the late Qing dynasty, around 1876, and the Juchunyuan restaurant in Fuzhou claims it as its own. The name comes from a story that its smell was so tempting that a Buddhist monk, who should eat no meat, jumped over the temple wall to taste it. It is served at banquets and for Chinese New Year as a symbol of wealth.

Main ingredients

Abalone, sea cucumber, dried scallops, chicken, pork tendon, shaoxing wine. The soup is built on rich chicken and pork stock and is usually served hot. Diet: contains meat; not usually gluten-free.

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Recipe

4Serves

8 h120 prep · 360 cook

~520kcal / serving

HardDifficulty

Method

1. 1

   Blanch the chicken, pork and ham, then brown them lightly with the ginger.

2. 2

   Layer the meat, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, scallops, fish maw, abalone and sea cucumber in a heavy clay pot.

3. 3

   Pour over the stock and wine, season with soy sauce, sugar and salt, and add the quail eggs.

4. 4
   6 h

   Seal the pot with foil and a lid and cook very gently in a low oven or steamer for 5 to 6 hours.

5. 5

   Bring the pot to the table and open it there.

6. ✓

   Serve. About 8 h from start to bowl.

Sources

• Buddha Jumps Over the Wall (Wikipedia)

Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.