A traditional signature dish of the old city of Jingzhou, formerly called Jingsha, and one of the Top Ten Classic Dishes of Hubei. A live soft-shell turtle is dressed and chopped, blanched and oil-sealed to lock in freshness, then simmered with ginger, fermented bean paste and chilli oil fried in lard, splashed with wine and stock, and braised low until the skirt is soft and gelatinous, the meat tender and the sauce thick, all over a base of beancurd skin set in a clay pot to drink up the juices. Deeply savoury and faintly spicy, it is the very taste of the Jingchu wetlands.
Jingsha turtle is a traditional famous dish of the old city of Jingzhou, once called Jingsha, set in the former lands of the Yunmeng Marsh, a country of dense waterways long rich in turtle and fish. The Chu taste for turtle reaches back to pre-Qin times: in the Summons of the Soul (Zhao Hun) of the Chu Ci, the line 'stewed turtle and roast kid, with sugarcane syrup' records a Chu feast of turtle and lamb dressed with cane juice more than 2,300 years ago, a lineage from which later generations trace Jingsha turtle. Today's version uses wild soft-shell turtle, marries the techniques of red-braising, stewing and simmering, and is seasoned with the fermented bean paste particular to the Jingsha area for a sauce that is savoury, lightly spicy and thick. In 2018, Jingsha turtle was named among the Top Ten Classic Dishes of Hubei on the Chinese Cuisine roster, and it stands among the representative dishes set out as Hubei codified its Chu cuisine standards.
The moment the lid comes off, a wave of savoury bean-paste aroma rolls out over the freshness of the turtle. The skirt is lush with gelatin, soft and lip-clinging, melting on the tongue; the central meat is firm and springy, threaded with sweetness. The sauce is thick enough to coat the spoon, its saltiness shot through with the fermented heat and lingering sweetness of bean paste. The beancurd skin beneath, soaked full of sauce, turns tender and deeply flavoured, one supple, one springy, the two playing off each other beautifully.
The prize of the turtle is its skirt, the gelatin-rich connective tissue around the shell. Over a low braise the collagen hydrolyses into gelatin, giving the skirt its soft, lip-clinging texture and naturally thickening the sauce until it coats the spoon, with little need for starch. Blanching and then oil-sealing the pieces sets and protects them: the hot oil rapidly coagulates the surface proteins, locking in the juices and stripping the muddy off-note. Fermented bean paste, rich in amino acids and esters from its ferment, is fried with ginger and wine to subdue any fishiness while layering Maillard and sauce aromas into a complex savouriness; the ethanol in the wine dissolves fat-soluble off-flavours, which then evaporate away with the heat.
Variations
Around Jingsha, cooks favour the local bean paste and chilli oil for a sauce that leans savoury and lightly spicy; there is also a clear-stewed line, drawing freshness only from scallion, ginger, ham and stock in homage to the clean original of the Summons of the Soul. The careful always line the clay pot with beancurd skin to soak up oil and juices and add a bean fragrance, and some braise pork belly or ham alongside to deepen the broth. A final pinch of sugar to lift the savouriness is the usual habit of Jingchu red-braised dishes. A male turtle of around 750 g is considered best, its skirt broad and thick and its muddy note light.
On the Palate
Where Jingsha Braised Soft-Shell Turtle sits in the Chinese flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
8 steps · 30 min
- 120 min
Dress the live turtle: scald it briefly, peel off the outer membrane, remove the organs and yellow fat, and chop into 3 cm pieces.
- 26 min
Blanch the turtle pieces in boiling water for 1 minute, then pass them through 60 percent-hot oil for about 2 minutes to seal, and drain.
Watch outBlanch, then pass the pieces through 60-percent-hot oil to seal — this sets the surface, locks in the juice, and strips the muddy off-note.
- 33 min
Blanch the beancurd skin in boiling water for 30 seconds and lay it in the base of a clay pot.
- 44 min
Heat lard in a wok and fry ginger slices, fermented bean paste and chilli oil over medium heat until fragrant and the oil reddens.
Watch outFry the bean paste with ginger until fragrant and the oil reddens — this is the layer that subdues any fishiness and builds the sauce.
- 53 min
Add the turtle pieces and toss to coat, then splash the cooking wine in around the edge of the wok.
- 65 min
Pour in hot stock with the seasonings, bring to a boil and skim off any foam.
- 715 min
Transfer everything to the clay pot over the beancurd skin and braise, covered, over low heat for about 15 minutes.
- 85 min
Finish with a pinch of rock sugar, reduce the sauce until thick and glossy, and serve in the clay pot scattered with scallion.
Watch outReduce at the end until the sauce turns thick and glossy — the skirt's melted collagen thickens it naturally, coating the spoon.
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