Buddha Jumps Over the Wall

A quick series of photos of the "Buddha Jumps Over the Wall" soup that my godfather made the other day.


 History:


"Buddha Jumps Over the Wall" soup is considered a Chinese delicacy that is made using a variety of expensive, high quality ingredients and is specially cooked using a "double boil" method (in which a sealed pot containing the soup is suspended within a larger pot of boiling water, so that the soup is gently and consistently heated over a long period of time without losing any liquid).


It originates from the Fuzhou, in the Fujian province of China, and is named because it is supposed to be so fragrant and delicious that even Buddha (who is supposed to be a vegetarian) would jump over a wall to come eat it, although it contains a number of non-vegetarian ingredients.


Typically, the main ingredients are shark's fin, dried scallop, fish maw, Chinese ham, abalone, dried bamboo shoots, sea cucumber, dried shiitake mushroom, sea cucumber and chicken. Other ingredients can be used, depending on who's making it.


This is the general look:

Buddha Jumps Over the Wall for THISSS!

Bamboo

Fish maw

Abalone

Fish maw, dried scallop, shark fin

Dried shiitake mushroom, Goji berries

Shark fin

Sea cucumber

I know many people, myself included, have ethical issues with eating shark fin, so I try not to eat it very often, since I can't help but think about all those poor sharks :*(


Overall though, this soup is a real treat when I do get to have it. I bet it would be equally yummy even without the shark fin! At Chinese restaurants, this is really expensive, the other day, the meal set including this soup as well as lobster and some other delicacies for over $800CAN for 8 people!




Until next time, DROOL!
<3 nattycat