How to Make Sizzling Eel Shreds (Xiang You Shan Si)
Sizzling Eel Shreds is a classic dish from the Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai regions. The eel shreds are tender, smooth, and slippery, seasoned with garlic, minced ginger, and sauce. Pouring hot lard over the dish releases an irresistible aroma, resulting in a rich, slightly sweet flavor that pairs perfectly with rice.
Estimated Cooking Difficulty: ★★★
Essential Ingredients and Tools
- Eel shreds
- Garlic
- Minced ginger
- Cooking wine
- Light soy sauce
- Oyster sauce
- Dark soy sauce
- Table salt
- White sugar
- Pepper
- Starch
- Minced garlic
- Chopped green onions
- Lard
Calculation
Determine how many servings you want to make before starting. One serving is enough for 2 people.
Per serving:
- Eel shreds: 400 g
- Garlic: 40 g
- Minced ginger: 20 g
- Cooking wine: 13 g
- Light soy sauce: 3 g
- Oyster sauce: 2 g
- Dark soy sauce: 2 g
- Table salt: 2 g
- White sugar: 6-15 g
- Pepper: 3.5-8 g
- Starch: 10 g
- Water: 50 g
- Minced garlic: 40 g
- Chopped green onions: 15 g
- Lard: 20 g
Instructions
- Cut the eel into three sections, then slice into thin shreds.
- Add 0.5 g of pepper and 3 g of cooking wine, mix well, then add 5 g of sesame oil to marinate.
- Heat the wok with oil.
- Add vegetable oil and heat to 60% hot.
- Add half of the minced garlic and all the minced ginger, and stir-fry for a few moments.
- Add the eel shreds and stir-fry over medium-high heat for 30 seconds.
- Drizzle 10 g of cooking wine along the edges of the wok and stir-fry briefly.
- Add light soy sauce and stir-fry until evenly mixed.
- Add oyster sauce and dark soy sauce, and stir-fry briefly.
- Add table salt, white sugar, and 3 g of pepper, and stir-fry until evenly mixed.
- Mix starch and water to make a slurry, pour it into the wok, and reduce the sauce until thick.
- Plate the dish and sprinkle with minced garlic and chopped green onions.
- In a separate small pan, heat lard until it reaches 70% hot, then pour it over the eel shreds to sizzle.
Additional Notes
- Do not wash the eel's blood too thoroughly, or the eel may turn dark and develop an off smell.
- You can ask the vendor to slaughter and clean the eel for you.
- Adding extra pepper and white sugar helps remove the fishy smell and enhances the aroma.
- Reference: Homemade Recipe for "Sizzling Eel Shreds" with Amazing Taste - YouTube
If you encounter any issues or have suggestions for improvement while following this guide, please submit an Issue or Pull request.