Free Chinese Recipes

Ingredients

• 675 g (1 1/2 lb) eel
• 4-5 sticks celery
• 3 stalks young leeks
• 4-5 slices root ginger
• 15 ml(1 tablespoon) salted black beans
• 60 ml (4 tablespoons) oil
• 5 ml (1 teaspoon) salt
• 30 ml (2 tablespoons) sherry
• 15 ml (1 tablespoon) hoisin sauce
• 2.5 ml (1/2 teaspoon) freshly ground pepper
• 22 ml (1 1/2 tablespoons) vinegar (Chinese aromatic, if available)
• 22 ml (1 1/2 tablespoons) soy sauce

Serve 6-8

Method:

1. Bone the eel and cut into medium-sized sections. Cut each section into chopstick-thick strips. Clean and cut the celery and leeks into similar strips, and the ginger into shreds. Soak the black beans for 20 minutes and drain them.

2. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the strips of eel and shredded ginger and stir-fry. spreading the strips over the surface of the pan. Leave to fry for 3 minutes over a medium heat. Stirring lightly now and then.

3. Sprinkle with salt and sherry. Add the celery, leeks, hoisin sauce and soy sauce. Stir the contents together for 2 minutes, and cook over a low heat for 3 minutes more. Sprinkle with vinegar and pepper, and serve on a well-heated dish.

Note: This is a piquant, highly savory and aromatic dish, very good with wine.