Buddha Jumps Over the Wall (佛跳墙 Fo Tiao Qiang) — Fujian Supreme Stock

Ingredients

• Luxury proteins — pre-soak required
• 2 dried sea cucumber, rehydrated over 3–4 days, gutted and cleaned
• 2 dried fish maw (yu piao 鱼鳔), soaked until fully pliable, then blanched
• 2 dried scallops, soaked; soaking liquid reserved for stock
• 1 whole abalone (canned or fresh), simmered in stock 2–4 hours; braising liquid reserved
• Braised proteins
• 250 g pork tendon, simmered until tender before combination
• 250 g bone-in chicken pieces, pre-cooked to approximately 80% doneness
• 150 g shrimp, shell on; pre-cooked to approximately 80% doneness
• 8 quail eggs, hard-boiled and peeled
• Vegetables
• 150 g bamboo shoots, sliced; blanched before use
• For the stock
• 1 whole chicken carcass, for stock base
• 500 g pork bones, blanched before use
• 100 g Jinhua ham (金华火腿), added to stock whole or in pieces
• 500 ml abalone and scallop soaking and braising liquid, combined; added to stock
• For the sealing dough
• 200 g plain flour, mixed with water to form a stiff dough for sealing the pot lid
• 80 ml water, added to flour to form sealing dough

Method

1. 1
   Begin 3–4 days before service. Submerge the dried sea cucumber in cold water and refrigerate, changing the water daily. The cucumber is ready when it is fully pliant and has swelled to several times its dried volume — press it; it should yield without resistance and hold no hard core.
2. 2
   Soak the dried fish maw in cold water until fully softened and pliable. Blanch briefly in boiling water to purge impurities and residual oil. Drain. Soak the dried scallops in cold water until they begin to loosen and soften; reserve the soaking liquid.
3. 3
   Build the master stock. Blanch the pork bones in boiling water for 5 minutes; discard the water. Combine the chicken carcass, blanched pork bones, and Jinhua ham in a large pot with sufficient cold water to cover. Bring to a bare simmer and maintain for at least 2 hours. Add the reserved scallop soaking liquid. The stock is ready when it is deep golden, faintly savoury in aroma, and coats the back of a spoon.
4. 4
   Simmer the abalone in the master stock over very low heat for 2–4 hours. Reserve the braising liquid and add it back to the stock. Separately, simmer the pork tendon in stock or water until fully yielding — a skewer should pass through without resistance. Pre-cook the chicken pieces, shrimp, and blanched bamboo shoots each to approximately 80% doneness in simmering stock. All components must be arrested before they are fully cooked; they must still hold their shape.
5. 5
   This is where the dish lives or dies. In a tall, lidded ceramic pot (sha guo, 砂锅), layer every pre-cooked ingredient — sea cucumber, fish maw, abalone, scallops, pork tendon, chicken, shrimp, quail eggs, and bamboo shoots — with the densest, most collagen-rich items at the base. Pour over enough of the finished master stock to submerge the contents completely. Mix the sealing dough to a stiff, workable consistency and press it firmly around the join between the lid and the pot, forming an unbroken collar. The seal must be airtight; if any steam can escape during the long braise, the concentrated aromatic charge that defines this preparation is lost.
6. 6
   Braise over the lowest possible heat, or transfer the sealed pot to a steamer, for 2–3 hours. Do not open or disturb the pot. The exterior of the pot will be hot and slightly fragrant — a faint savoury sweetness should be perceptible through the dough seal. Time, not sight, governs this step.
7. 7
   Bring the sealed pot to the table intact. Break the dough seal at the table in the presence of the guests. The rising column of steam carries the concentrated fragrance of the entire preparation — this aromatic release is inseparable from the dish. The stock beneath should be dark, viscous, and intensely savoury. Serve immediately into individual bowls, ensuring each portion receives a share of every ingredient.