"Thousand Layers"

[Jonathan Day]

Ed, at a Shanghaiese restaurant in London (ECapital), I had "thousand layers". I believe it is made from pigs' ears, somehow arranged so that white and brown ears alternated, and then sliced vertically, so that the slices had a beautiful layered look, like slices of a miniature terrine.

Is this a well-known dish in Shangahi cuisine? Do you know how it is prepared? Are the brown ears cooked in a different way to the white, e.g. braised in soya sauce? Do you know how the ears are made to hold together for slicing and presentation?

Thanks again for your rich and insightful answers in this Q&A.

[eatingwitheddie]

Ed, at a Shanghaiese restaurant in London (ECapital), I had "thousand layers". I believe it is made from pigs' ears, somehow arranged so that white and brown ears alternated, and then sliced vertically, so that the slices had a beautiful layered look, like slices of a miniature terrine.

Is this a well-known dish in Shangahi cuisine? Do you know how it is prepared? Are the brown ears cooked in a different way to the white, e.g. braised in soya sauce? Do you know how the ears are made to hold together for slicing and presentation?

Pigs ears are one of those cuts that are high in natural gelatin. When you braise them for a long time a lot of the gelatin melts into the sauce. Most likely the ears are brasied and then layered on top of one another, the sauce reduced and then poured on top. When the dish is weighted and chilled, the ears can be cut, probably on an electric slicer, and they will have that 'layered' look.

I have typically have seen this item on Szechuan and Hunan menus. We served them at Uncle Tai's.

By the way, most of the time I have encountered something with 1000 layers it is a special type of steamed bun.