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Huangshan Braised Squab
A whole squab stuffed with bamboo tips and ham, then steamed over water for two hours until the meat is tender and the broth runs clear. Adapted for a home kitchen from the original ClouChef R&D report — 黄山炖鸽, report 63.
Original poster image from clouchef.com (poster: 黄山炖鸽_63.jpeg). This is the hero poster only, not a step-by-step photo set.
Prep: 35 minutesCook: 2 hoursTotal: 2 hours 35 minutesServings: 1–2Difficulty: MediumRegion: Anhui (Huangshan)Flavour: Clean, savoury, delicate
Why this works
The report's method is gentle by design. Instead of boiling the squab, it is steamed over water at 95–98 °C — hot enough to cook through, never reaching a rolling boil that would shred the delicate meat. The bird is soaked for 30 minutes first to draw out blood, because a cloudy broth is treated as a failure here, and it is stuffed with bamboo tips, ham, scallion and ginger so the inside seasons the bird as it steams. Salt waits until the halfway mark: added at one hour, it seasons without toughening the meat the way early salting would. The finished broth is strained and poured back over the bird, so what arrives at the table is clear, fragrant and complete — meat, stuffing and soup in one pot, with nothing boiled away. A clear broth and meat that yields without shredding are the signs the gentle steam did its work.
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Ingredients
| Ingredient | US | Metric | Substitute / note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Squab, cleaned | 14 oz | 400 g | One bird, about 400 g; a small poussin is the nearest substitute (adaptation). |
| Huangshan bamboo tips | 1.1 oz | 30 g | Tender bamboo tips; canned bamboo tips, rinsed, work (adaptation). |
| Jinhua ham, thinly sliced | 0.2 oz | 5 g | Sliced 0.5 cm thick per the report — see note in the source note. |
| Scallion segments | 0.4 oz | 10 g | — |
| Ginger slices | 0.2 oz | 5 g | — |
| Cooking wine (yellow wine) | 1.0 tbsp | 15 ml | Shaoxing wine. |
| Salt | 0.1 oz | 2 g | Added after 1 hour per the report. |
| Clear stock | 33 tbsp | 500 ml | Pork-bone and chicken-frame stock; low-sodium store-bought stock works (adaptation). |
| Goji berries, optional | 3 berries | 3 berries | Optional garnish per the report. |
Equipment
- Clay pot or heatproof pot with a bamboo mat — a rack keeps the bird off the base (adaptation)
- Large pot or steamer for water-bath steaming
- Kitchen string for tying the bird
Steps
- Prepare the squab. Soak the cleaned squab in cold water for 30 minutes to draw out blood, drain, then rub with cooking wine and ginger slices.
- Prepare the stuffing. Blanch the bamboo tips in boiling water for 30 seconds and drain. Slice the ham.
- Stuff and tie. Fill the cavity with bamboo tips, ham, scallion segments and ginger slices, and tie the opening shut with string.
- Steam over water. Line the clay pot with a bamboo mat, lay in the squab, and pour in stock to cover by 2 cm. Steam over water, keeping the bath at a gentle simmer of 95–98 °C, never a rolling boil.
- Season and finish. After 1 hour, add the salt and continue steaming for another hour. Remove the squab, cut the string, strain the broth and pour it over the bird. Garnish with 3 goji berries if using, and serve with Huangshan Maofeng tea if you like.
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Technique: Technique: steam, never boil
The water bath must stay at or below 98 °C. A full boil breaks down squab fibres and turns the meat stringy, which is exactly what this dish avoids. The bamboo mat matters too: without it the skin sticks to the pot and tears when the bird is lifted out.
Variations
- No bamboo tips: use tender canned bamboo shoots, cut small; the texture contrast is the point, so do not omit the bamboo entirely.
- Two birds: double the stuffing and stock and use a larger pot, keeping the same 2-hour steam — check the thickest part reaches 74 °C / 165 °F throughout (home food-safety guidance, added as an adaptation).
Frequently asked questions
Why soak the squab?
Thirty minutes in cold water draws out blood; skipping it leaves the broth cloudy, which the report treats as a defect.
Why add salt halfway?
Early salt toughens the meat. The report adds salt only after the first hour of steaming.
Can I boil it instead?
Boiling at a full roll will shred the meat. Keep the bath at a gentle simmer, 95–98 °C, for the full two hours.
Storage
Best eaten fresh. Leftovers keep 1 day refrigerated; reheat gently until steaming hot throughout and do not reheat more than once.
Huangshan Braised Squab — Recipe Card
A whole squab stuffed with bamboo tips and ham, then steamed over water for two hours until the meat is tender and the broth runs clear. Adapted for a home kitc
Prep: 35 minutesCook: 2 hoursTotal: 2 hours 35 minutesServings: 1–2
Ingredients: 400 g squab; 30 g bamboo tips; 5 g ham; 10 g scallion; 5 g ginger; 15 ml cooking wine; 2 g salt; 500 ml clear stock; 3 goji berries (optional).
Steps: 1) Soak squab 30 minutes; rub with wine and ginger. 2) Blanch bamboo tips 30 seconds. 3) Stuff bird with bamboo, ham, scallion, ginger; tie shut. 4) Steam over water at 95–98 °C. 5) Salt after 1 hour; steam 1 more hour; strain broth over bird and serve.
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Source note: ingredients, quantities and steps are adapted from the original ClouChef R&D report for 黄山炖鸽 (data/reports/63.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 describes the ham both as thin slices and as 0.5 cm thick; this page follows the 0.5 cm figure given in the ingredient table. Original poster image: clouchef.com (黄山炖鸽_63.jpeg).