Blanched Eel Tail (Qiang Hu Wei)
Use the tail of yellow eel, score into strips and blanch until just cooked, then drizzle with seasoned sauce and hot garlic oil for a tender, silky finish.
Ingredients
Live small yellow eel
1000 g
Garlic (finely minced)
25 g
Cilantro (washed, cleaned, and sterilized)
50 g
Sesame oil
50 g
MSG
10 g
Premium soy sauce
50 g
Zhenjiang aromatic vinegar
25 g
White pepper powder
2.5 g
Chicken broth
50 g
Fine salt
10 g
Scallion (lightly smashed)
10 g
Ginger (lightly smashed)
10 g
Instructions
1
Preparing the eel
Bring water to a boil, add scallions, ginger, fine salt, and 15 g of rice vinegar, then add the eels and cover tightly. Once the eels are scalded, stir to remove the slime, rinse with cold water, and simmer briefly over low heat. Remove, rinse clean, use a bamboo knife to slit the eels and remove the bones, innards, and other impurities, then cut tail sections 7.5 cm long and arrange neatly on a plate.
2
Making the sauce
In a mixing bowl, combine chicken broth, MSG, soy sauce, 10 g of Zhenjiang aromatic vinegar, and white pepper powder, and stir until well blended. Mince the garlic, and wash, clean, and sterilize the cilantro.
3
Finishing and plating
Bring water to a boil, blanch the eel tail pieces until just cooked through, remove and drain, arrange neatly on a plate, pour the sauce over them, and place the minced garlic in the center. Heat the sesame oil to about 80% hot and pour it sizzling over the minced garlic. Garnish the edges of the plate with cilantro and serve immediately.
