Braised Cuttlefish (Kua Dun Mu Yu)
Cuttlefish pieces are coated in beaten egg and deep-fried, then braised with sliced pork and deer-antler seaweed until tender and aromatic.
Ingredients
Cuttlefish (head removed, skin and fins torn off, innards removed, cleaned and chopped into large pieces)
1.3 kg
Fatty pork (sliced)
120 g
Silvertang seaweed (soaked until soft and rinsed clean)
100 g
Peeled winter bamboo shoots (sliced)
25 g
Eggs (beaten in a bowl)
150 g
Vegetable oil (for frying fish)
900 g(actual ~80 g)
Rendered lard (for stir-frying aromatics)
25 g
Ginger slices
8 g
Soy sauce
8 g
MSG
8 g
Salt (originally listed alongside MSG at 8 g each, consolidated here)
8 g
Cooking wine
20 g
Scallion segments
25 g
Ginger julienne
25 g
Sesame oil
5 g
Rice vinegar
15 g
Flour (for coating fish)
25 g
Cilantro segments
a pinch
Chicken broth
1 kg
Instructions
1
Preparation
Remove the head from the cuttlefish, tear off the skin and fins, take out the innards, clean thoroughly, and chop into large pieces. Soak the silvertang seaweed until soft and rinse clean. Beat the eggs in a bowl. Slice the pork and winter bamboo shoots.
2
Frying
Heat a wok over high heat and bring the vegetable oil to temperature. Coat the fish pieces with flour, dip them in the beaten egg, and drop into the oil. Fry until about 80% cooked, then remove and drain off the oil.
3
Braising
Using the same wok, heat the rendered lard, then add the scallion segments, salt, ginger slices, pork slices, silvertang seaweed, and winter bamboo shoots and stir-fry. Add the soy sauce, chicken broth, MSG, cooking wine, and rice vinegar, and adjust the seasoning. When the broth comes to a boil, skim off the foam, add the fried fish pieces, and braise over low heat for 10 minutes. Drizzle with sesame oil and rice vinegar, sprinkle with cilantro, and serve.
