Yan Du Xian (腌笃鲜 (Yān dǔ xiān))

Overview

Yan du xian is a spring soup from Shanghai and the Jiangnan region of salted pork, fresh pork and young bamboo shoots. The name describes it: yan for the salted pork, du for the sound of the pot bubbling slowly, and xian for the fresh meat and fresh flavour. Cured pork and fresh pork belly or ribs are blanched, then simmered for a long time with ginger, spring onion and a splash of rice wine until the broth turns milky white. Thick pieces of spring bamboo shoot, blanched first to remove their bitterness, go into the pot, and many Shanghai cooks also add knots of thin tofu skin. No other seasoning is needed, as the salted pork gives the soup its savoury depth.

History

The soup is usually traced to the Huizhou region of southern Anhui, where salted pork was cooked with the spring bamboo of the mountains, and Huizhou merchants and cooks are said to have brought it to Shanghai and Hangzhou in the late Qing dynasty. In Shanghai it became a classic home dish of early spring, made in the short season when the new bamboo shoots appear.

Main ingredients

Salted pork, fresh pork belly, spring bamboo shoots, tofu knots, ginger, spring onion. The soup is built on milky white pork and bamboo broth and is usually served hot. Diet: contains meat; usually gluten-free.

Explore: Pork soups · More soups from China

Recipe

4Serves

2h 20m20 prep · 120 cook

~420kcal / serving

EasyDifficulty

Method

1. 1
   3 min

   Blanch the salted and fresh pork separately for 3 minutes and rinse.

2. 2
   1 h

   Put them in a pot with 2.5 l water, the ginger, spring onion and rice wine, bring to the boil and simmer for 1 hour.

3. 3
   5 min

   Blanch the bamboo shoots for 5 minutes and add them to the pot.

4. 4
   45 min 15 min

   Simmer for 45 minutes until the broth is milky, adding the tofu knots for the last 15 minutes.

5. 5

   Slice the salted pork and return it, taste before adding any salt, and serve.

6. ✓

   Serve. About 2h 20m from start to bowl.

Sources

• english.shanghai.gov.cn
• news.bjd.com.cn
• Shanghai cuisine (Wikipedia)

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