At Home with Chinese Cuisine (28 page)
Read At Home with Chinese Cuisine Online
Authors: T P Hong
Rice-field Eels Stir-fried with Yellow Chinese Chives
炒鱔糊
Along with Crispy Rice Crusts with Prawns, this dish brought back my childhood memories of the Saturday eating-out in my father’s favourite restaurant. I still have a vivid memory of how the dish was served. Finely chopped raw garlic was placed in the centre of the dish when it was presented to the table. Very hot oil was poured onto the garlic on the table in front of us. It was the sizzling sound that reached us first. And almost instantaneously, the enticing aroma of the garlic follows. To enjoy the full flavour of this dish, a Chinese spoon is a must alongside the chopsticks in serving so we can have all the ingredients in the mouth at the same time. And this was a dish we ate up whilst it was still warm.
The rice-field eel is a popular fish with the Chinese. And, as expected, there are many different ways of preparing it. Rice-field Eels Stir-fried with Yellow Chinese Chives is a dish originating from ZheJiang and JiangSu provinces where rice fields have been the landscape of the countryside. Paddy fields used to be the home for these eel-like fish. Their greenish brown back is a perfect camouflage as they slither around in their natural habitat. Largely due to the increasing demand for this fish for its taste and medicinal property, farmed Rice-field Eels are now available all year round.
The rice-field eel is high in protein, minerals and nutrients such as lecithin. There are ongoing researches linking the consumption of lecithin from the eel with the prevention of memory loss or dementia. In TCM, the rice-field eel with a warm food property is nourishing to our liver, spleen and kidneys, and it aids the circulation of Qi inside our body. There is an old saying that rice-field eels are more nourishment than ginseng when eaten at the time of XiaoShu. XiaoShu is the 11
th
solar term in the Chinese lunar calendar, which starts in July in the Western calendar. It is the time the eel is at its best after coming out of winter hibernation and fattening itself up over the course of the spring and the early summer.
The two accompanying ingredients for this dish are the young ginger and the forced yellow Chinese chives. About the same time as the eels are at their best, the ivory-coloured young ginger also makes its brief appearance in the market. It has a more delicate taste than the grow-up ginger commonly used for cooking. Yellow Chinese chives are the forced Chinese chives that have a creamy yellow colour with a pungent aroma of garlic and white pepper.
500-600 g rice-field eel fillets ½ bunch forced Chinese chives 1 spring onion white, sliced 5 g ginger, sliced 1 T ShauXing wine 1 T rice vinegar, preferably ZhenJiang rice vinegar or Monascus vinegar salt and pepper 1-2 t dark sesame seed oil (optional) water cooking oil 2 t rice vinegar For the sauce: 5 g ginger, coarsely chopped 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped 1 spring onion white, coarsely chopped 1-2 T dark soy sauce 1 t sugar 1 T ShauXing wine or other rice wine 50 ml water, heated 2 t cornflour mixed with 10 ml cold water | Rinse and pat dry the yellow Chinese chives. Cut them into 3 cm segments. Shred the young ginger finely. If it is not available, use the regular ginger. Shred the regular ginger finely and leave the shreds in a bowl of cold water to soak in order to remove some of their pungency. Rinse the eel fillets well. Place a saucepan of water over a medium heat. Bring the water to a boil, add slices of ginger and spring onion white, followed by the eels. Add 1 T of the ShauXing wine, 1 T of the vinegar and 1 t salt into the water. If you wish the fish to have a firmer texture with a slight crunch, bring the fillets out when the fillets curve up. If you prefer the fish to have a softer texture, simmer the fillets for about 1 minute. Bring them out and leave them in a bowl of cold water to cool them down. When they are cold, wash the fish skin to remove the white substance. Cut them in half lengthwise. Cut each piece into 2-3 strips lengthwise. Heat a wok of hot oil (about 180°C) sufficient to blanch the eels. Put the eels in, stir and bring them out straight away to drain in a colander with a bowl underneath. Place the wok over a medium heat. Add 30 ml of the cooking oil. When the oil is hot, add the sauce ingredients of the coarsely chopped garlic, ginger and spring onion white. When their aroma can be detected, pour in the water. Bring the water to a simmer; add the sauce ingredients of the dark soy sauce, sugar and wine. When it comes to a boil, adjust the colour by adding more soy sauce (if wished). Taste to season. Turn the heat down slightly, add the eels (and the yellow Chinese chives if you wish the chives to be soft) and stir gently for 30 seconds or so. Add the cornflour and water mixture and stir until the sauce coats the eels well. Drizzle the vinegar along the rim and add about ten turns of white pepper. Add the yellow Chinese chives (if you did not add them to the wok earlier) until they wilt a little (less than 1 minute). |
For the garnish: 20 g young ginger, finely shredded 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped 4 coriander sprigs, cut into 2 cm segments (optional) white pepper | Plate the eels on a warm dish and leave a shallow hole in the middle of the eels. Put the chopped garlic for the garnish in the hole. Sprinkle generous quantity of white pepper on the eels. Put the young ginger on one corner and the coriander (if used) on the opposite corner. Put the plate close to the table if diners wish to enjoy the sound and the aroma of hot oil being poured over the garlic. Put 2 T of the cooking oil and the dark sesame seed oil (if used) in a pan. Heat them to around 210°C. Pour them over the garlic. Serve immediately. |
Steamed Seasonal Fish with Three Fine Shreds
清蒸時魚
Steaming as a cooking method has been around in China for more than five thousand years.
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It remains a popular cooking method these days. A stainless steel steamer is the most common utensil in the Chinese kitchen next to the wok. It is heavily used for preparing steamed dishes, keeping food warm, and reheating leftovers. It has practically replaced the traditional bamboo steamer in the domestic kitchen. The guardians of the traditional bamboo steamers are the Chinese steam bread stalls. Customers still expect the steam bread to have the aroma of bamboo when they are piping hot. The practical reason for the continuous usage of the bamboo steamer by the steam bread makers is that steam can escape from the bamboo lid so as to avoid the condensation that could undesirably affect the quality and the appearance of the bread.
I like to use the bamboo steamer and appreciate its aging into a light brown colour with usage. The smell of bamboo, how the steam heats up the steamer and cooks the food, and the aroma of the food cooked in it are things that the stainless steel steamer cannot offer. Bamboo steamers come in different sizes. A steamer larger than 38 cm (15 inches) will be more versatile for serious steaming because most of the food for steaming needs to be placed on a heatproof plate to go into the steamer. One needs room inside the steamer to allow the steam to circulate for even and effective cooking.
Fish steamed whole (with the skin on) is popular in China. The Chinese believe that the best way to enjoy quality fish is simply to have it steamed whole at high temperature in a short period of time. The fish lives in a weightless environment, and so its muscle has little connective tissue. It therefore takes very little time to cook. Make sure that the steamer has sufficient quantity of water and it is over a high heat for a fierce boil to produce full steam.
The benefits of cooking the fish whole are that the backbone prevents the attached flesh from shrinking (contracting) during the cooking, and it helps in keeping the meat tender. Fish skin contains collagen. Steaming turns collagen into gelatine, which contributes to the thickening of the juice or cooking liquid and gives a smooth mouth feel. As a form of protein, the incorporation of ingredients rich in collagen, such as the skin of the fish, is conducive to the maintenance of the health of our bones and joints. Fish skin has gained popularity with women in China in recent years for its benefit of improving and maintaining the elasticity of skin against aging. In China, fish fillet for steaming is not for the gourmand, with exceptions such as the next recipe. Skinning fish for steaming whole is frowned upon.
People often comment that choking on a fish bone is like being bitten by a snake: once bitten, one shivers when catching sight of a rope in the shape of a snake. But many Chinese parents remain persistent in encouraging their children to have fish on the bone and encourage them to use their tongue to feel the bones and pick them out. The young ones are told that fish on the bone has more flavour, and exercising the tongue as such is a good training for the agility and coordination and is helpful to brain development. These are very attractive propositions for the parents who wish the best of their children in a very competitive society for advancement.
You are fortunate if you have a reliable fishmonger who offers decent choices of both freshwater and marine fish. When selecting a fish for the meal, its quality is always the primary consideration. Make sure that the fish is displayed on a bed of ice in the shop. Check the brightness of the eyes and the shininess of the scales, feel the firmness of the flesh, and have a sniff for any unpleasant odour. Fish in a size that fits into a heatproof oval-shape plate with raised rim for the steamer are ideal. A raised rim is important to gather the nutritious and flavoursome cooking liquid for making juice or sauce later. The plate will normally be served from the steamer to the table because of the fragility of the flesh when cooked, and it keeps the fish warm.
In most of the traditional markets and supermarkets in China, available marine fish tend to be either frozen solid or displayed on a bed of ice. Live freshwater fish are kept in the fish tank or containers. The Chinese seldom buy dead freshwater fish unless it is at a discount. Customers can ask the fishmonger to scale, gut, and clean the fish to take away. Leave the live fish freshly killed to rest for several hours in the fridge before cooking. It is similar to hanging game for several days after shooting to relax the meat. Post-rigor flesh is tenderer when cooked.
To prepare the fish for steaming, the first step is to scale the fish and scrape the skin clean. Use a pair of scissors to separate the joint between the backbone and the gills; discard the gills. Rinse off any blood clots inside the cavity by the rib cage and the head.
Scaling the fish is a common practice in food preparation, but for some species, leaving the scales on for steaming to retain the fish fat underneath the scale and on the skin results in a much more delicate,
rich flavour. Some people keep fresh fish scales, clean them, and place them in a sachet for making jelly. The scales give a gelatinous texture to the soup or stew. As a source of calcium, deep-fried large fish scales stir-fried with herbs and spices is an interesting accompaniment with alcoholic beverages.
A little bit of knife work is called for next. To prepare the fish for steaming, the most common method is to hold the knife on a slant, with the knife blade facing the tail end, and score the skin on both sides with diagonal cuts (3 or 4 cuts on each side will suffice) until the knife touches the backbone. Space the cuts evenly along the length of the fish.
When steaming the fish, it has to be placed in a heatproof plate with slightly raised rim to gather the cooking liquid. You can also steam the fish en papillote (in a paper bag) in a steamer or in an oven. With a fish weighing 500 grammes or so, rub it with wine, salt, and pepper and set aside to rest for at least 10 minutes in the fridge. Place the fish on an oiled aluminium foil or greaseproof paper big enough to be folded into a sealed parcel. Place shredded spring onion white, ginger, and fresh red chilli pepper on top of the fish. Gather the corners of the foil or greaseproof paper to fold into a sealed parcel. For a fish weighing around 500 grammes, steam the parcel for about 10 minutes, or bake it in the oven at 180°C for about 15 minutes. The cooking time should be adjusted according to the size and the texture of the fish. When it is done, leave the parcel in the steamer with the heat turned off and the lid removed to keep it warm. If the oven is used, bring the parcel out of the oven and leave it in a warm place for the fish to rest. Open the parcel when it is ready to be served.
How the fish is served also has an influence on the flavour of the dish. There is a north-south distinction in China regarding how steamed fish is served. In the south, there are two ways to serve the dish: The cooking liquid is reduced or thickened and returned to the dish for serving; or in place of the cooking liquid, a light-flavoured sauce is drizzled around the fish. In the north, such as in Beijing, the cooking liquid is drained away, and in its place, a stronger flavoured sauce specifically blended for steamed fish (commercially available) is widely used. What is constant is that steamed fish is often garnished with finely shredded spring onions, ginger, and red chilli, with hot oil (210°C) poured over them. They contribute the bright contrasting colour, aroma, and tastes to the dish. It is the privilege of the cook in the kitchen to enjoy the sizzling sound of the hot oil touching the garnish..