Silver Lung in Milky Broth
Silver Lung in Milky Broth is a classic Shandong soup dish. The creamy white broth resembles milk, and the pig lung is tender and melts in the mouth. Combined with ham, bamboo shoots, and mushrooms, it yields rich flavors and nutrition, making it an ideal delicacy for banquets.
Ingredients
13 items- Pork lung 1 whole (about 800g/1.75 lbs)
- Milky broth 6 cups (1500 ml)
- Scallions 3-4 stalks (30g)
- Ginger 1 inch piece (15g)
- Cooking wine (Shaoxing wine) 2 tablespoons (30ml)
- Salt 1 teaspoon (5g)
- White pepper 1/2 teaspoon (3g)
- MSG 1/4 teaspoon (2g)
- Lard or oil 1.5 tablespoons (20g)
- Ham 1 oz (30g)
- Winter bamboo shoots 1 oz (30g)
- Dried shiitake mushrooms 3-4 (20g)
- Baby bok choy 3.5 oz (100g)
Nutrition
Steps （10 steps）
Hold the pig lung's trachea under a faucet, let water flow into the lung, knead the lobes to expel water, repeat for about 10 minutes until the lung turns white and no blood comes out. Cut off the trachea and connective tissue, then dice the lung into 3cm cubes.
Place the lung cubes in a pot, cover with cold water, add 1 tablespoon of cooking wine and 5 ginger slices. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium heat and cook for 3 minutes, skimming off any foam. Drain and rinse with warm water.
Put the blanched lung in a bowl, add 2 scallion sections, 5 ginger slices, 1 tablespoon cooking wine, and 150ml water or broth. Steam over high heat for 90 minutes until the lung is very tender (a chopstick can easily pierce through). Remove and discard scallion and ginger, reserve the steaming liquid.
Prepare the milky broth: In a separate pot, add 500g pork bones or chicken and 2000ml water. Bring to a boil, skim foam, then reduce to low heat and simmer for 2 hours until the broth is creamy white. Strain and reserve the broth. (This can be done while steaming the lung.)
Heat a wok over high heat, add 1.5 tablespoons lard, heat until shimmering. Add 1 tablespoon minced scallions and 1 teaspoon minced ginger, stir-fry for about 20 seconds until fragrant.
Immediately pour in 6 cups milky broth, then add the steamed lung, ham slices, bamboo shoot slices, and shiitake mushrooms. Add 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon white pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat, skim off any fat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes to infuse flavors.
Uncover and increase heat to high, reduce the broth for about 5 minutes until it thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon. Stir gently to prevent sticking. The broth should be uniformly milky white.
Add the baby bok choy to the soup and cook for 1 minute until just tender but still bright green. Do not overcook.
Add 1/4 teaspoon MSG (optional), adjust salt to taste, stir well, and turn off the heat.
Transfer the soup to a preheated large bowl. Garnish with a few goji berries if desired. Serve immediately.
Tips
The keys to this dish are thorough cleaning of the pig lung and the quality of the milky broth. The lung must be washed until snow white and steamed until very soft. The broth must be simmered slowly until it becomes creamy; do not boil vigorously. White pepper helps suppress any gaminess, and the greens should be added last to retain color and crunch.
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