Stocks & broths
Nai Tang (奶湯) — Milky White Pork-Chicken Stock
奶湯 · Nai Tang is one of the three classical Chinese soup stocks of Shandong cuisine (alongside Mao Tang and Qing Tang): an opaque, milk-white, unctuous stock rendered by sustained vigorous boiling of an old hen, an old duck, pork hock, pork stomach, and pork leg bones with ginger and scallion, in which protein and fat are emulsified into a stable milky suspension by the breakdown of collagen and amino acids.
The formula
1 hen : 1 duck : 1 hock : 1 stomach : 2 kg leg bones : water to cover
Canonical ratio per Newton wiki recipe: 1 old hen + 1 old duck + 1 pork hock + 1 pork stomach + ~2 kg pork leg/shank bones, with a single addition of cold water.
Identity
- One of three classical Chinese soup stocks: 毛湯 (thin) / 奶湯 (milky) / 清湯 (clear)
- Predominantly a Shandong (魯菜) tradition, especially Jinan-style banquet cookery
- Defined by its opaque, milk-white color and rich, lightly thickened mouthfeel
- A production base — never seasoned with salt; salt is added only when used in a finished dish
- Flavor comes solely from emulsified collagen and amino acids — no MSG, no dairy
- Cooked-out ingredients are typically repurposed for other dishes
Ingredients
| Base | Old hen (老母雞, whole) | Provides collagen, fat, and amino acids; must be fresh and free of off-odors. |
| Base | Old duck (老母鴨, whole) | Fatty duck is critical for the milky (脂酸) appearance and body. |
| Base | Pork hock (豬肘) | Rich in collagen and connective tissue; contributes body and opacity. |
| Base | Pork stomach (豬肚) | Listed in the canonical Jinan recipe; requires careful pre-cleaning so the stock is clean, not gamey. |
| Base | Pork leg/shank bones (豬棒骨, ~2 kg) | Principal bone-collagen source that thickens and whitens the stock. |
| Aromatics | Ginger (生薑, smashed, ~20 g) | Deodorizes meats and bones during the long simmer. |
| Aromatics | Scallion (蔥, tied in knots, ~50 g) | Deodorizes and lightly sweetens the stock. |
| Flavor | Shaoxing cooking wine (料酒, ~50 g) | Suppresses off-odors; can be omitted without breaking the stock. |
Method
- 1Pre-clean and blanch: rub-wash the pork stomach several times, blanch, then scrape clean; scrape-wash the pork hock; wash the hen, duck, and pork leg bones. Blanch all proteins together in boiling water to purge blood and odors, then rinse clean.Removes blood, scums, and especially pork-stomach odor so the finished stock is clean and savory rather than gamey.
- 2Transfer all blanched ingredients to a large pot, cover with a single addition of cold water, and bring to a vigorous boil (旺火).A cold-water start extracts collagen gradually from bones; a vigorous boil is required to drive the milky emulsification.
- 3Skim all foam and scum that rises once the pot boils.Strips protein impurities so the emulsion stays milky rather than muddy or grey.
- 4Add smashed ginger, scallion knots, and cooking wine; cover and maintain a continuous rolling boil for an extended period.Sustained high-temperature agitation emulsifies dissolved collagen, fat, and protein into a stable milky suspension — the defining mechanism of nai tang.
- 5Keep the rolling boil (do not let it fall to a simmer) until the broth becomes thick, opaque, and milk-white with concentrated savory flavor; do NOT add salt.Salt would salt-out the proteins and destabilize the emulsion; salt is added only at final dish assembly.
Techniques that matter
Pre-blanch (焯水) of all proteins
Removes blood and off-odors before the long cook so the finished stock is clean and aromatic.
Continuous rolling boil at high/medium-high heat
Mechanical agitation plus heat emulsifies fat into the broth to produce the signature milky white color.
Single cold-water addition (中途不加水)
Adding water later dilutes the emulsion and prevents the milky color from setting properly.
No-salt stock (湯不加鹽)
Salt during the simmer salting-out proteins and destabilizes the emulsion; stock is finished only when used in a dish.
Variations & derivatives
Jinan / Shandong canonicalShandong (Jinan)
Full canonical ingredient set: hen + duck + pork hock + pork stomach + ~2 kg leg bones, longest-simmered; used for high-end banquet dishes.
Simplified (no pork stomach)Home / restaurant kitchens
Commonly omits pork stomach when its strong odor is hard to control; the other four proteins still produce a milky stock.
Pork-bone-forwardNorthern China broadly
Heavier weighting on pork leg and hock bones with reduced poultry; still classifies as nai tang.
Used in these dishes
Substitutions
- Old hen → Regular stewing chicken or capon — Less fat and collagen; the stock will be paler and thinner.
- Old duck → Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs — Loses the duck-fat signature that drives the milky color.changes result
- Pork stomach → Omit entirely — Standard home substitution; the other four proteins still yield a milky stock.
- Shaoxing cooking wine → Skip — Ginger and scallion alone will deodorize; flavor is slightly less clean.
Troubleshooting
Broth stays translucent or pale rather than milky white
Heat dropped below a rolling boil, so fat and collagen never emulsified. → Return to a vigorous sustained boil (旺火) and keep it there; do not allow the pot to fall to a gentle simmer.
Stock is grey, muddy, or has a strong off-flavor
Insufficient pre-blanching, or pork stomach was not cleaned through. → Re-blanch all proteins, rub-wash and blanch the pork stomach multiple times, and skim foam continuously during the boil.
Emulsion breaks / broth separates on cooling
Salt was added during simmering, salting-out the suspended protein. → Never salt during production; finish with seasoning only when the stock is combined into a final dish.