Braised Pork Lung, Two Methods

Ingredients

• 2 pork lungs
• rice wine (huangjiu) and water
• seasonings (unspecified)
• chicken stock (高湯)
• quality ham (好火腿)

Instructions

1. Cleaning the lung is the most demanding step. First, flush the lung thoroughly with cold water to expel all blood and water from the air passages, and carefully remove the outer membrane. Beat, turn, hang, and flip the lung repeatedly; extract the tracheal tubes and cut away the diaphragm membranes—this work requires extreme care and patience.
2. Bring wine and water to a rolling boil and cook the lung for one full day and night. The lung will shrink to the size of a single white lotus bloom and float upon the cooking liquid. At this point, add the seasonings. The result tastes silken and smooth upon the palate. In the old days, when Tang Yan held banquets for guests, each bowl contained four slices, which consumed four whole lungs.
3. For those without the patience for such meticulous labor, an acceptable alternative is to break the lung into smaller pieces and braise them until tender in chicken stock—this too is good. If one can obtain wild game fowl stock (野雞湯), it is even superior, for clear pairs with clear. Alternatively, braising with quality ham is also acceptable.