Shrimp, sea cucumber, water chestnut, and ham minced into a filling, bundled in pork caul fat, and deep-fried until the fat dissolves to a paper-thin golden shell — each bundle then cut into four lotus petals and arranged on the plate.
御带虾仁 belongs to the Kongfu banquet repertoire developed across centuries as successive Yansheng Dukes hosted imperial envoys and visiting emperors. The name 御带 refers to the jade-and-gold sash clasp granted to high court officials as a mark of imperial favor — the Yansheng Duchy itself was a perpetual gift renewed by each dynasty. The dish is also recorded in Kongfu household accounts as 玉带虾仁 (Jade-Belt Shrimp). According to the Kong Mansion food records (孔府食谱), the household maintained dozens of distinct shrimp preparations, each name expressing the family's relationship to the throne.
The caul-fat shell, rendered to near-nothingness, shatters at the first bite; inside, the shrimp filling is springy and just-set, with the clean crunch of water chestnut and the faint brine of sea cucumber cutting through the richness.
Pork caul fat is a lacy adipose membrane with a very high surface-area-to-volume ratio. At 150°C frying temperature its fat renders almost completely within 3–4 minutes, leaving only a thin protein scaffold as the crisp shell. Shrimp myosin sets at 60–65°C, so the interior is just-cooked and moist while the exterior reaches full Maillard browning — a narrow temperature window that requires careful oil temperature control.
Variations
The broader Kongfu shrimp canon includes 雨前虾仁 (shrimp with pre-Grain-Rain tea broth), 翡翠虾仁 (spinach-dyed emerald shrimp), and 松子虾仁 (pine-nut shrimp). Some records list a version of 御带虾仁 wrapped in egg-white skin (蛋皮) rather than caul fat, yielding a cleaner, lighter flavor suited to summer banquets.
On the Palate
Where Imperial-Belt Shrimp sits in the Chinese flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
7 steps · 40 min active + 10 min waiting
- 110 min
Peel and devein fresh shrimp; cut into thirds. Blanch sea cucumber and dice; finely dice water chestnuts, shiitake mushrooms, and ham.
- 28 min
Combine shrimp pieces and diced garnishes; season with salt, white pepper, and Shaoxing wine; fold in beaten egg white and cornstarch to bind into a cohesive filling.
- 310 min
Cut pork caul fat into 8 cm squares; place one heaped spoonful of filling on each square; fold the netting over and crimp the edges firmly closed.
Watch outFold the caul netting over and crimp the edges tight — a loose seal and the bundle bursts open in the oil.
- 43 min
Coat each bundle evenly with a thin layer of egg-white batter to secure the seal before frying.
- 57 min
Heat oil to 150°C; fry the bundles in batches for 3–4 minutes until the caul fat renders to a translucent golden shell.
Watch outFry at a steady 150°C until the caul renders to a translucent golden shell — too hot browns the outside before the shrimp inside just sets.
- 65 min
Drain, then cut each bundle crosswise into four petal-shaped quarters; arrange on the serving plate in a lotus-blossom pattern.
- 71 min
Serve at once — the caul-fat shell shatters at the first bite, releasing the moist shrimp filling within.
