Chinese Seafood Recipes - Dry-Cooked Eel Recipe

Ingredients

• 5 dried Chinese mushrooms

• 3 spring onions (scallions)

• 30 ml/2 tbsp groundnut (peanut) oil

• 20 cloves garlic

• 6 slices ginger root

• 10 water chestnuts

• 900 g/2 lb eels

• 30 ml/2 tbsp soy sauce

• 15 ml/1 tbsp brown sugar

• 15 ml/1 tbsp rice wine or dry sherry

• 450 ml/3/4pt/2 cups water

• 15 ml/1 tbsp corn-flour (cornstarch)

• 45 ml/3 tbsp water

• 5 ml/1 tsp sesame oil

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Method:

1. Soak the mushrooms in warm water for 30 minutes then drain and discard the stalks. Cut 1 spring onion into chunks and chop the other.

2. Heat the oil and fry the mushrooms, spring onion chunks, garlic, ginger and chestnuts for 30 seconds. Add the eels and stir-fry for 1 minute.

3. Add the soy sauce, sugar, wine or sherry and water, bring to the boil, cover and simmer gently for 1 1/2 hours, adding a little water during cooking if necessary.

4. Blend the corn-flour and water to a paste, stir into the pan and simmer, stirring, until the sauce thickens.

5. Serve sprinkled with sesame oil, and the chopped spring onions.