佛跳墙 Over The Wall
During the reign of Emperor Daoguang of the Qing Dynasty, a man had his people prepared the wine-jug stew when the Governor decided to dine with him. The Governor enjoyed the delicious meal and added the dish to his family menu, so that he could have it more often.
A well-chosen ingredients that include a wide variety of delicacies, saturated with rich sauce, and employing a special way of cooking over long hours, the dish originated from the Fujian Province. Water that would developed from the contents in the jug towards the end of the long hours cooking was calculated and regulated to preserve the imperial dining standard. Mutton, duck and chicken pieces are put on top of a grid that is placed at the bottom of the jug. Abalone and scallops take the next layer atop. Followed with mushrooms, bamboo shoots and turnips, adequate stock is poured over the ingredients before covering them with lotus leaf and the lid of the jug.
The ingredients are left to simmer over a slow fire for about 2 to 3 hours depending on the size of the jug. After that, fish maw and sea cucumber added to the jug to enrich the tenderness of taste and again the expanded ingredients are left for simmering that would continued for another 9 hours or so.
When the Governor's chef opened a restaurant next to a Buddhist Temple, a monk was moved by the delicious smell and fell over when he peeked over the wall. There goes the name for the dish, 'Buddha Jumps Over The Wall' or in simplified Chinese, 佛跳墙.
A well-chosen ingredients that include a wide variety of delicacies, saturated with rich sauce, and employing a special way of cooking over long hours, the dish originated from the Fujian Province. Water that would developed from the contents in the jug towards the end of the long hours cooking was calculated and regulated to preserve the imperial dining standard. Mutton, duck and chicken pieces are put on top of a grid that is placed at the bottom of the jug. Abalone and scallops take the next layer atop. Followed with mushrooms, bamboo shoots and turnips, adequate stock is poured over the ingredients before covering them with lotus leaf and the lid of the jug.
The ingredients are left to simmer over a slow fire for about 2 to 3 hours depending on the size of the jug. After that, fish maw and sea cucumber added to the jug to enrich the tenderness of taste and again the expanded ingredients are left for simmering that would continued for another 9 hours or so.
When the Governor's chef opened a restaurant next to a Buddhist Temple, a monk was moved by the delicious smell and fell over when he peeked over the wall. There goes the name for the dish, 'Buddha Jumps Over The Wall' or in simplified Chinese, 佛跳墙.
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