Forest Frog Stewed with Potatoes 林蛙炖土豆

Forest Frog Stewed with Potatoes (林蛙炖土豆) is a stew of forest frogs and potato chunks braised in Northeast yellow soybean paste. In Baishan (白山), Jilin, it is served in the iron-pot-stew restaurants of a village near the Changbai Mountain (长白山) Wanda resort, and the Jilin provincial government describes the Changbai Mountain forest frog as found throughout the city.

Ingredients

A recipe from the Changbai Mountain channel of China Jilin Net (中国吉林网) uses about half a kilo of live forest frogs (nine frogs) to three small potatoes, with Northeast yellow soybean paste (东北黄酱), light and dark soy sauce, salt, spring onion and ginger. The Jilin provincial government describes the Changbai Mountain forest frog as found throughout Baishan, where it is farmed by closing off mountain gullies (封沟养殖).

How it is made

The live frogs are washed, stunned, and dropped into boiling water only until the skin turns white, then cooled in cold water. Ginger slices are fried in oil to flavour it and lifted out; the potato chunks go in and are fried until fragrant, then the yellow paste is stirred through. Soy sauce and plenty of water follow, the blanched frogs are laid on top, and once it boils the pot is turned down and simmered, seasoned with salt and soy, until the liquid has cooked away. Chopped spring onion goes on at the end.

How it is eaten

In Guosong Village (果松村), Donggang Town (东岗镇), Fusong County (抚松县), about a kilometre from the Changbai Mountain Wanda resort, Xinhua found more than 20 restaurants built around big iron-pot stews. There each main ingredient has its fixed partner: chicken goes with hazel mushrooms, goose with pickled cabbage, and forest frog with potatoes.