Ji'nan, Shandong Province — considered one of the finest examples of Shandong (Lu) cuisine's technically demanding preparations
Jiu zhuan da chang (nine-turn large intestine): one of the iconic dishes of Lu (Shandong) cuisine — pork intestine cleaned meticulously, blanched, then fried and braised in a sweet-sour-salty sauce. Named for the nine processing steps required to transform the raw intestine into an edible, flavoursome dish. The intestine must be impeccably cleaned — any residue ruins the dish.
Sweet-sour, deeply savoury, spiced, with the rich offal depth of properly prepared intestine
{"Cleaning: intestines turned inside out, rubbed with salt and vinegar, blanched, repeated multiple times","Fry before braising — creates structure and slight char on the outside","The braising sauce balances sweet (rock sugar), sour (vinegar), salt (soy), and spice (cinnamon, Sichuan pepper)","Nine-turn refers to the nine processing stages — each transforms the texture and flavour"}
{"Use vinegar (white vinegar or Chinkiang) during the blanching and cleaning — removes odour far more effectively than plain water","Some Jinan restaurants add a small amount of fermented tofu to the sauce for additional depth","The intestine should retain a slight chew — it should not fall apart"}
{"Insufficient cleaning — the dish is inedible if cleaning is incomplete","Skipping the frying stage — the intestine lacks structural integrity for braising","Imbalanced sauce — must be genuinely sweet-sour with salty background"}
Land of Fish and Rice — Fuchsia Dunlop