Salted Pork, Spring Bamboo Shoot, and Eel Soup
A stewed soup made with wild eel, fresh spring bamboo shoots, and farmhouse salted pork, with a fresh, rich flavor and abundant nutrients.
Ingredients
Wild eel (wild eel has golden skin and fine black spots on the belly; farmed eels are larger, have less yellow belly, and coarser patterns)
2
Spring bamboo shoots (washed and cut diagonally)
3
Salted pork (skin-on is preferred; soak in warm water for 15 minutes first to remove the salty taste, then wash and cut into small pieces)
small piece
Ginger (in chunks)
as needed
Garlic cloves
2
Yellow cooking wine
as needed
Vegetable oil
a small amount
Salt (for final seasoning)
a small amount
Small scallions (bright green, sprinkle on top before serving)
Instructions
1
Prepare Ingredients
Wash the spring bamboo shoots and cut them into chunks diagonally. Soak the salted pork in warm water for 15 minutes first to remove the salty taste, then wash and cut into small pieces. After slaughtering the eel, cut it into small segments, remove the blood vessels from the belly, immerse in hot (too hot to touch) water, wait until white foam (mucus on the surface) floats up from the eel segments, then remove and wash.
2
Simmer Soup Base
Bring water to a boil in a clay pot, add the salted pork chunks, spring bamboo shoot chunks, and ginger pieces. Once it boils again, skim off the foam, add a small spoon of yellow cooking wine, then turn to low heat and simmer for 45 minutes.
3
Stir-fry Eel Segments
Heat a small amount of oil in a wok, add 2 garlic cloves and several slices of old ginger to stir-fry until fragrant, then add the eel segments and stir-fry until aromatic. Pour in a spoon of yellow cooking wine, then pour the eel segments and the liquid into the clay pot that is simmering the salted pork and spring bamboo shoots.
4
Finish
Simmer for about 20 more minutes, add a small amount of salt to the soup to taste, sprinkle with bright green small scallions, and it is ready to serve.
