Qiyang Bi Fish
A classic Hunan dish featuring Qiyang brush fish, red-braised for tender, delicate flesh and a rich, pervasive aroma.
Ingredients
Fresh bi fish (slaughtered, cleaned, drained, cut into 4 cm long x 2 cm wide bone-shaped pieces)
about 1000 g
Ginger (cut into shreds)
15 g
Red chili pepper (seeds removed, cut into shreds)
30 g
Scallion (white parts cut into segments, green leaves cut into chopped scallions)
20 g
Soy sauce
25 g
Shaoxing wine
5 g
Fine salt
1.5 g
MSG (monosodium glutamate)
1 g
Wet starch (for thickening)
10 g
Fresh stock
250 g
White pepper powder
1.5 g
Sesame oil (drizzled in before serving)
10 g
Rendered pork lard
100 g
Instructions
1
Preparing the fish
Slaughter and clean the bi fish, drain, and cut into 4 cm long x 2 cm wide bone-shaped pieces.
2
Preparing the aromatics
Remove the seeds from the red chilies and cut them into shreds together with the ginger. Cut the white parts of the scallions into segments and the green leaves into chopped scallions.
3
Braising
Heat a wok over high heat, add 60 g of the pork lard, and heat until about 80% hot. Add the fish pieces and stir-fry a few times, then add the red chili, ginger, scallion whites, Shaoxing wine, fine salt, and soy sauce, and stir-fry briefly. Pour in the fresh stock and braise for two to three minutes until the sauce tightens. Add the MSG, the remaining 30 g of pork lard, and the chopped scallions, thicken with the wet starch, drizzle with the sesame oil, sprinkle with the white pepper powder, and serve.
