Braised Deer Sinew, Two Methods

Name: Braised Deer Sinew, Two Methods
Cuisine: China
Ingredients: 2 pieces deer sinew; meat stock (高湯); chicken stock (高湯); to taste autumn-pressed soy sauce (秋油); to taste wine (酒); to taste cornstarch slurry (芡); pinch ground Sichuan pepper (花椒細末); as desired Jinhua ham (火腿); as desired winter bamboo shoots (冬筍); as desired shiitake mushrooms (香蕈)

Origin: Nanjing, Jiangsu, China

Source: Yuan Mei 袁枚, 1792

Ingredients

2 pieces deer sinew
meat stock (高湯)
chicken stock (高湯)
to taste autumn-pressed soy sauce (秋油)
to taste wine (酒)
to taste cornstarch slurry (芡)
pinch ground Sichuan pepper (花椒細末)
as desired Jinhua ham (火腿)
as desired winter bamboo shoots (冬筍)
as desired shiitake mushrooms (香蕈)

Instructions

Three days before serving, pound the deer sinew to begin softening it. Cook it through, then drain the rank odor (臊水) multiple times by pressing and rinsing.
Braise the sinew in meat stock (高湯) until it begins to yield. Then braise it again in fresh chicken stock.
For the WHITE METHOD (plain preparation): To the final braising liquid, add autumn-pressed soy sauce (秋油) and wine. Thicken the sauce with a cornstarch slurry (芡), reducing it until the liquid clings to the sinew. The dish will turn pale white in color. Plate it on a serving dish. Finish with a sprinkle of ground Sichuan pepper.
For the RED METHOD (with accompaniments): Braise the sinew together with Jinhua ham, winter bamboo shoots, and shiitake mushrooms in the same sequence (meat stock, then chicken stock, with soy and wine added). Do not thicken the sauce—leave the braising liquid loose. Serve in a deep bowl. The mingling of ingredients and soy will render the dish a deep reddish-brown (紅色).