Turtle Soup With Preserved Vegetables

Unusual Ingredients

Turtle Soup With Preserved Vegetables
Ingredients:
½ pound preserved vegetables, cut in half-inch pieces
1 turtle, blood, bones, and shell discarded
3 shallots, peeled and cut in quarters
3 slices fresh ginger, slivered
2 scallions, angle-sliced
3 red dates, pitted and minced
1 Tablespoon oyster sauce
2 teaspoons each, thin and dark soy sauce
½ teaspoon coarse salt
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
8 cups chicken broth

Preparation:
1. Soak vegetables in two changes of cold water, each for ten minutes. Discard each water.
2. Gut the turtle. Remove bones, if desired, and rinse it well. Then cut its meat into small pieces, and dry each piece with paper towels.
3. Mix shallot, ginger, scallion, and the date pieces with the three sauces, salt, and cornstarch, and set aside.
4. Heat chicken broth to a simmer, add the turtle meat and simmer it for fifteen minutes, then add the vegetables, and simmer five more minutes.
5. Now add the sauce mixture and bring to a boil. When thick, serve in pre-heated soup bowls or in a large tureen.

Flavor and Fortune is a magazine of: