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Ham-Braised Softshell Turtle
Softshell turtle slow-braised for 90 minutes in clear stock with ham, mushrooms and bamboo shoots — a banquet soup where the ham does the seasoning. Adapted for a home kitchen from the original ClouChef R&D report — 火腿炖甲鱼, report 62.
Original poster image from clouchef.com (poster: 火腿炖甲鱼_62.jpeg). This is the hero poster only, not a step-by-step photo set.
Prep: 20 minutesCook: 95 minutesTotal: 1 hour 55 minutesServings: 2–3Difficulty: HardRegion: Anhui (Huizhou)Flavour: Rich, savoury, clean
Why this works
The report's method is built on two unglamorous disciplines: cleaning and patience. The turtle is scalded for 30 seconds and its outer membrane peeled off by hand, because any membrane left behind clouds the soup and leaves a harsh edge; the rest of the dish then does almost nothing but wait. Ham, mushrooms and bamboo go under the turtle in a clay pot, stock covers it by 2 cm, and the pot barely simmers — the surface showing only small fish-eye bubbles — for a full 90 minutes. Salt goes in only after the first hour, since early salting toughens the meat and dulls the ham's slow release of flavour. The result the report promises is a clear, not cloudy, soup: that clarity is the proof the heat stayed low and the membrane came off properly, and it is worth judging the dish by. Skimming the fat after the rest leaves the broth clear enough to see the ham and mushrooms beneath it.
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Ingredients
| Ingredient | US | Metric | Substitute / note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Live softshell turtle, cleaned weight | 14 oz | 400 g | About 650 g live weight; buy cleaned from a specialist fishmonger if possible — cleaning a live turtle at home is difficult (adaptation). |
| Jinhua ham, sliced | 1.8 oz | 50 g | Middle section, sliced 0.3 cm thick. |
| Dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked | 1.1 oz | 30 g | 10 g dry weight; reserve the soaking liquid if clean (adaptation). |
| Water bamboo shoots, soaked | 1.8 oz | 50 g | Canned bamboo shoots, rinsed, work (adaptation). |
| Scallion segments | 0.7 oz | 20 g | — |
| Ginger slices | 0.5 oz | 15 g | — |
| Cooking wine | 2.0 tbsp | 30 ml | Shaoxing wine. |
| Salt | 0.2 oz | 5 g | Added after 60 minutes per the report. |
| Clear stock | 53 tbsp | 800 ml | Chicken-bone stock; low-sodium store-bought stock works (adaptation). |
| Scallion or goji berries, to garnish | to taste | to taste | Optional per the report. |
Equipment
- Clay pot or heavy lidded pot — a clay pot is traditional but not required (adaptation)
- Pot for scalding
- Skimmer for removing surface fat
Steps
- Clean the turtle. After slaughter, scald the turtle in boiling water for 30 seconds, plunge into cold water, and peel off the outer membrane by hand until the surface is smooth and free of white film.
- Prepare the rest. Slice the ham 0.3 cm thick, soak the mushrooms in warm water for 30 minutes, and blanch the bamboo shoots for 1 minute.
- Assemble. Line the clay pot with ham, mushrooms and bamboo shoots, lay the turtle belly-up on top, add scallion and ginger, and pour over the cooking wine.
- Braise. Add stock to cover the turtle by 2 cm, bring to a boil over high heat, then turn to low heat and keep at a bare simmer — only small bubbles — for 60 minutes.
- Season and finish. Remove the scallion and ginger, add salt, and continue simmering for 30 minutes. Rest 3 minutes off the heat, skim surface fat, garnish with scallion or goji berries, and serve.
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Technique: Technique: low heat, late salt
The whole braise must stay at a bare simmer; a rolling boil clouds the soup and dries the ham. And salt timing is a control point, not a preference: salting before 60 minutes makes the turtle meat tough and stops the ham's flavour releasing properly. Total braise time must stay between 80 and 100 minutes.
Variations
- No clay pot: a heavy lidded casserole works; keep the heat just as low and the lid on.
- Stock shortcut (adaptation): good store-bought chicken stock replaces the report's bone stock, but avoid heavily seasoned stocks that would fight the ham.
Frequently asked questions
Why peel the membrane?
It is the report's key de-fishying step: leftover membrane makes the soup cloudy and the texture harsh.
Can I use a frozen turtle?
The report specifies live turtle. If only frozen is available, thaw fully in the fridge and still scald and peel before braising.
Is turtle legal and available?
Availability and regulation vary by region; buy only from licensed suppliers and check local rules before cooking this dish.
Storage
Best eaten fresh; the soup gels as it cools. Leftovers keep 1 day refrigerated; reheat until boiling throughout and do not reheat more than once.
Ham-Braised Softshell Turtle — Recipe Card
Softshell turtle slow-braised for 90 minutes in clear stock with ham, mushrooms and bamboo shoots — a banquet soup where the ham does the seasoning. Adapted for
Prep: 20 minutesCook: 95 minutesTotal: 1 hour 55 minutesServings: 2–3
Ingredients: 400 g cleaned softshell turtle; 50 g ham; 30 g soaked mushrooms; 50 g bamboo shoots; 20 g scallion; 15 g ginger; 30 ml cooking wine; 5 g salt; 800 ml clear stock.
Steps: 1) Scald turtle 30 seconds, cool, peel membrane. 2) Slice ham, soak mushrooms, blanch bamboo. 3) Line pot with ham, mushrooms, bamboo; lay turtle belly-up with scallion, ginger, wine. 4) Cover with stock; boil, then barely simmer 60 minutes. 5) Remove scallion and ginger, salt, simmer 30 minutes more; rest, skim, serve.
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Source note: ingredients, quantities and steps are adapted from the original ClouChef R&D report for 火腿炖甲鱼 (data/reports/62.md). The report's pricing, margin and marketing sections are deliberately omitted here; no B2B cost is presented as a home-cook cost. The report's turtle cost line is arithmetically wrong (a whole turtle at a tiny fraction of its own stated unit price), so all cost figures are omitted. Original poster image: clouchef.com (火腿炖甲鱼_62.jpeg).