Braised Rice Eel
Braise live eel in a brine of wine, vinegar, and salt, then remove the dorsal meat. Stir-fry the meat rapidly over high heat with sliced garlic, thicken the sauce with a starch slurry, and finish with a drizzle of vinegar. The finished dish is tender with a rich, garlicky aroma.
Ingredients
small rice eel
1000 g
MSG
1 g
aromatic vinegar (100g for boiling, 15g for cooking)
115 g
white pepper powder
0.5 g
sliced ginger
10 g
Shaoxing wine
10 g
sliced garlic cloves
10 g
coarse salt (for boiling the eel)
75 g
water starch (for thickening)
25 g
knotted scallion
5 g
soy sauce
25 g
rendered lard (75g for stir-frying, 25g for drizzling)
100 g
Instructions
1
Step 1
Add 2000g of water, coarse salt, 100g of aromatic vinegar, knotted scallion, and sliced ginger to a pot. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat, then quickly pour in the rice eel. Cover the pot tightly. Wait until the eels stop moving and their mouths open. Once the water boils again, add a small amount of fresh water. Gently push and flip the eels with a ladle. Simmer for about 3 minutes, then remove the eels, rinse them in clean water, and drain. Take the dorsal (back) meat of the eels, tear each piece into two sections, blanch them in boiling water, then remove and drain off excess moisture.
2
Step 2
Heat a wok over high heat, add 75g of rendered lard. Heat to about 70% of its smoking point, then add sliced garlic and fry until fragrant. Add the eel dorsal meat, then pour in Shaoxing wine, MSG, and soy sauce. Thicken the mixture with water starch, add 15g of aromatic vinegar, drizzle in 25g of rendered lard. Toss the wok to mix evenly, transfer to a serving plate, sprinkle with white pepper powder, and serve.
