Walking in the sea of ??delicious food, Lao Turtle Soup is highly praised for its fresh, mellow and nourishing taste. If you want to cook an unforgettable bowl of turtle soup with your own hands, you may wish to follow the instructions below and savor the joy of cooking.
Ingredients selection and preparation
The key to making old turtle soup lies in the freshness and quality of the ingredients. When purchasing old turtles, you should choose individuals with hard carapace, firm flesh, and elastic heads and limbs. In terms of auxiliary ingredients, ginger, chives, cooking wine, salt, Huadiao wine, etc. are indispensable. Old ginger has the effect of dispelling cold and warming the palace, while chives can improve freshness and remove fishy smell. Cooking wine can remove odor, salt can be seasoned to enhance the freshness, and Huadiao wine can add a mellow aroma.
Cleaning and Handling
Cleaning the turtle is the first step to ensure that the soup is clean and hygienic. Rinse the inside and outside of the old turtle repeatedly with clean water to remove dirt and impurities from its belly. Then, use a knife to cut along the old turtle's abdomen and remove the internal organs and blood clots. Remember, the bile of old turtles is relatively bitter, so keep it intact when taking it out to avoid breaking it. When handling old turtles, be gentle to avoid breaking the turtle's shell.
Blanching and seasoning
Blanching is an important step in getting rid of the fishy smell. Put the processed old turtle pieces into boiling water and blanch them for a while, take them out and rinse them with cold water. After blanching, not only will the fishy smell of the turtle be reduced, but the meat will also become firmer. When blanching, you can add an appropriate amount of ginger and cooking wine to further remove the odor.
Stewing and collecting juice
The delicious soup base is the essence of Lao Turtle Soup. Put the blanched turtle pieces into a casserole or soup pot, add ginger slices, chive segments, Huadiao wine and enough water. After boiling over high heat, turn to low heat and simmer. The stewing time depends on the size of the turtle, usually 2-3 hours. During the stewing process, skim off the foam to keep the soup clear.
When the soup is rich and fragrant and the turtle meat is crispy and delicious, the juice can be collected and seasoned. Add appropriate amount of salt to taste, and other seasonings such as pepper or wolfberry can be added according to personal taste. When the juice is reduced, simmer over high heat to make the soup thicker and thicker.
Final decoration
Before serving, you can sprinkle with chopped coriander or chopped green onion to add color and fragrance. A bowl of old turtle soup with attractive color and fragrant aroma is completed.
Intimate tips
When stewing old turtle, you can add an appropriate amount of Chinese medicinal materials such as red dates, wolfberry or angelica to enhance the nourishing effect.
During the stewing process, you can add an appropriate amount of water according to the thickness of the soup.
Lao Turtle Soup is rich in nutrients and should not be kept for a long time. It is recommended to make and drink it now to ensure the taste and nutritional value.
When making old turtle soup, you can adjust the amount of seasonings according to your own preferences to achieve the most satisfactory taste.