Recipe for Stone Pot Eel Slices

Stone Pot Eel Slices

This dish employs a live-frying technique. The eel is first stir-fried with pickled peppers, pickled ginger, doubanjiang (fermented broad bean paste), star anise, and other spices until cooked through. Then, a bit of broth is added to simmer, resulting in a dish that's fresh, fragrant, spicy, and with a distinct aroma of star anise. It's a great down-to-earth meal.

Preparation:

1. First, slaughter and de-bone the fresh eel, then slice it into segments. Additionally, dice the yellow squash into strips. Cut the star anise into fine threads.

2. Heat a wok over high heat with a blend of oil (a mixture of lard and vegetable oil). Add dried chili flakes, star anise, Sichuan peppercorns, garlic, doubanjiang, chopped pickled vegetables, pickled ginger, and pickled peppers and stir-fry until fragrant. Then, pour in the eel and stir-fry until cooked through.

3. When the eel releases its aroma, add a little stock and season with salt, white wine, black pepper, sugar, MSG, and chicken powder. Bring to a simmer, then thicken with a light slurry. Before serving, sprinkle with star anise threads.

Source: Zhejiang Cuisine