Buddha Jumps Over the Wall
佛跳墙
Fujian's legendary luxury soup — 30+ premium ingredients slow-simmered for hours. So good that a meditating Buddha would jump the wall to eat it.
📋 Ingredients
What Is Buddha Jumps Over the Wall?
💡 Ingredient Notes: Buddha Jumps Over the Wall (佛跳墙, fó tiào qiáng) is Fujian cuisine's crown jewel — a legendary luxury soup containing 30+ premium ingredients (abalone, sea cucumber, fish maw, dried scallops, Jinhua ham, quail eggs, mushrooms, and more) slow-simmered for hours until the broth is deeply concentrated and each ingredient is perfectly tender. The name comes from a folk tale: the aroma was so intoxicating that a vegetarian monk (Buddha) broke his meditation and leapt over the temple wall to taste it. Traditionally served for banquets and special occasions — it's one of the most expensive dishes in Chinese cuisine.
Ingredients You'll Need
Premium Ingredients (use what you can find)
- 4 dried abalones (or fresh)
- 2 dried sea cucumbers
- 100g fish maw
- 20 dried scallops
- 100g Jinhua ham (or prosciutto)
- 8 quail eggs
- 100g dried shiitake mushrooms
- 100g bamboo shoots
- 1 whole chicken (for broth)
Broth & Seasoning
- 3 liters chicken stock
- 1 cup Shaoxing wine
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rock sugar
- 3 slices ginger
📝 Instructions
Soak dried ingredients
Soak abalones, sea cucumbers, fish maw, dried scallops, and mushrooms separately in water for 24-48 hours until soft. This is the most time-consuming part.
Prepare each ingredient
Clean and cut all ingredients into bite-sized pieces. Boil quail eggs and peel. Blanch bamboo shoots. Sear the ham lightly.
Layer in the pot
In a large clay pot, layer the ingredients — ham and chicken at the bottom, then mushrooms and bamboo, then seafood on top. Pour in stock, Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, and rock sugar.
Slow simmer
Cover tightly and simmer on the lowest heat for 2-3 hours. Do not open the lid. The broth will become rich and concentrated as flavors meld.
Serve
Ladle carefully into individual bowls, ensuring each serving gets a variety of ingredients. The broth should be golden, rich, and complex beyond words.
💡 Pro Tips
- 💡This is a project dish — start 2 days ahead for soaking dried ingredients.
- 💡Use whatever premium ingredients you can find — the full 30 is traditional but a simplified version with 8-10 ingredients is still extraordinary.
- 💡The Shaoxing wine is key — use good quality, it defines the flavor.
- 💡Double-boil if possible — placing the clay pot in a larger steamer for 3 hours gives the clearest, most refined broth.
📊 Nutrition Facts
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Can I simplify this? Yes — use chicken, mushrooms, shrimp, scallops, and bamboo shoots. Skip the expensive sea cucumber and abalone. Still delicious.
Why is it so expensive at restaurants? Premium ingredients (abalone, sea cucumber, fish maw) are costly, and the labor is intensive. A good bowl can cost $50-200 at a restaurant.
