Fo tiao qiang (佛跳墙, Buddha jumps over the wall) is a legendary Fujian preparation — a complex, multi-ingredient stew that combines some of the most prized luxury ingredients in Chinese cooking: sea cucumber, abalone, fish maw (yu piao, 鱼鳔), scallop, shrimp, pork tendon, chicken, quail eggs, and bamboo shoots, slow-cooked for many hours in a sealed ceramic pot in a rich stock. The name reportedly refers to the preparation's aroma being so intoxicating that even a meditating Buddhist monk would leap over the monastery wall to taste it. It is the most elaborate and expensive preparation in the Fujian (Min) culinary tradition.
The ingredients: Each ingredient must be prepared separately before combination: sea cucumber — rehydrated over 3-4 days. Fish maw — soaked and blanched. Abalone — simmered in stock for 2-4 hours. Pork tendon — simmered until tender. Scallops — dried variety, soaked. All ingredients are pre-cooked to approximately 80% doneness before being combined. The combination braise: Layer all pre-cooked ingredients in a tall, lidded ceramic pot (sha guo, 砂锅). Add a rich stock — the stock should be made from chicken, pork bones, Jinhua ham, and the soaking liquid from the abalone and scallops. Seal the lid with cooking dough. Braise over very low heat (or in a steamer) for 2-3 hours. The service: The sealed pot is brought to the table and opened at the table — the aromatic release of the steam upon opening is part of the theatre of this preparation.
Fuchsia Dunlop, Invitation to a Banquet (2023); Eileen Yin-Fei Lo, Mastering the Art of Chinese Cooking (2009)