Gastrodia Fish Head
Prepare gastrodia (tianma), Sichuan lovage (chuanxiong), and poria (fuling), then stuff the mixture into the belly of a fresh carp and steam until done. Finish by pouring sauce over the top. Said to calm the liver and subdue wind.
Ingredients
Gastrodia (soaked in rice water, then steamed until tender and sliced)
25 g
Chuanxiong rhizome (cut into large pieces, soaked in rice water)
10 g
Poria (cut into large pieces, soaked in rice water)
10 g
Fresh carp (descaled, gills and innards removed, washed clean)
1 (1500 g)
Soy sauce
to taste
Cooking wine
to taste
Salt
to taste
MSG
to taste
Sugar
to taste
White pepper
to taste
Sesame oil
to taste
Scallion
to taste
Ginger
to taste
Cornstarch slurry
to taste
Instructions
1
Step 1
Scale, gut, and wash the fresh carp; place it in a basin. Cut the chuanxiong and poria into large pieces and soak them in second-rinse rice water. Soak the gastrodia in the rice water used for the chuanxiong and poria for 4–6 hours, then remove it, place it on top of cooked rice, steam until tender, slice, and set aside.
2
Step 2
Place the gastrodia slices inside the fish head and belly. Return the fish to the basin, then add scallion, ginger, and an appropriate amount of water. Steam over a steamer for about 30 minutes.
3
Step 3
Once the fish is done steaming, pick out and discard the scallion and ginger. In a separate pot, bring cornstarch slurry, broth, sugar, salt, cooking wine, soy sauce, MSG, white pepper, and sesame oil to a boil to thicken into a sauce, then pour it over the gastrodia fish. Serve immediately.
