Beginning of Summer eel with ginseng - Detailed explanation of the tender and fragrant garlic braised eel

Beginning of Summer eel with ginseng - Detailed explanation of the tender and fragrant garlic braised eel

Overview

Eel has always been regarded as a top-quality fish in our country. Fresh eels have been put on the market in large quantities at the turn of spring and summer. Nowadays, eel tastes the most delicious. There is a folk saying that eating eel in Xiaoshu is better than eating ginseng in early summer. It is believed that eating some eel in Xiaoshu has a nourishing effect comparable to that of ginseng. Monopterus eels are available all year round, but are best during the Slight Summer Season. The eel from June to August is strong and fat, the meat is tender and delicious, rich in nutrients and has strong nourishing effect. It is said that eel and ginseng are not only an affirmation of its nourishing effect, but also because of its effect in treating winter diseases and summer diseases. How could something so delicious escape the scanner of foodies? Take action now! The boss bought eels; he gave special instructions: Don’t put random things in there. Use a little dried chili pepper, spices, and ginger to sauté until fragrant; do not peel the garlic, put the whole garlic into the pot and simmer until it is cooked; the garlic can be eaten together with the eel juice, and it tastes quite good. The green peppers are not heated too early or too late. If they are cooked too early, they will be too hard, and if they are cooked too late, they will be too soft. After all the ingredients are put in, add the eel and water and simmer until cooked. The eel to be braised is soft and rotten; it melts in your mouth and the meat is not rotten. All the flavor of the soup is penetrated. The eel is not greasy and has a smooth texture. The taste is salty and sweet. The soup is fresh and fragrant, spicy in the mouth but not in the heart. A little spicy, a little sweet, and more of the umami flavor of the fish. The old man just said this and walked out coolly.

Tags

Ingredients

Steps

  1. Slaughter the eel, disembowel it and remove the intestines (this process is usually completed at the vegetable market; when buying eel, weigh it first and calculate the price based on the slaughtered weight).

    Beginning of Summer eel with ginseng - Detailed explanation of the tender and fragrant garlic braised eel step 1

  2. Prepare unpeeled garlic. Choose smaller garlic cloves that are more flavorful and easier to soften. The garlic must be burned with the skin on! It would be better if you use single-headed garlic, because the boss didn’t buy it, so this is also good.

    Beginning of Summer eel with ginseng - Detailed explanation of the tender and fragrant garlic braised eel step 2

  3. Remove seeds from fresh green peppers, wash and set aside.

    Beginning of Summer eel with ginseng - Detailed explanation of the tender and fragrant garlic braised eel step 3

  4. Chop off the eel head, rub the eel with salt, rinse it with water to remove the mucus on the surface, and cut it into sections with scissors after washing. The eel is so slippery that it is difficult to cut on a cutting board. I think scissors are pretty good.

    Beginning of Summer eel with ginseng - Detailed explanation of the tender and fragrant garlic braised eel step 4

  5. Wash the eel cut into sections and set aside. Put the eel into a pot of boiling water and quickly blanch it and take it out. Don’t take too long! Put it in and pick it up. The mucus on the eel will fall off as the water warms. Nutritionally speaking, eels don’t need to be blanched; but the kids at home don’t like it, so we have to let her do it. Drain the removed eel and set aside.

    Beginning of Summer eel with ginseng - Detailed explanation of the tender and fragrant garlic braised eel step 5

  6. Prepare 4 star anise, about 30 peppercorns, and 8 dried red chili peppers.

    Beginning of Summer eel with ginseng - Detailed explanation of the tender and fragrant garlic braised eel step 6

  7. Break the garlic into cloves, wash and set aside. Choose small garlic cloves for better flavor.

    Beginning of Summer eel with ginseng - Detailed explanation of the tender and fragrant garlic braised eel step 7

  8. Pour three tablespoons of oil into the wok and heat it up.

    Beginning of Summer eel with ginseng - Detailed explanation of the tender and fragrant garlic braised eel step 8

  9. Add a piece of beaten ginger, then pour in star anise, peppercorns, and dried red pepper.

    Beginning of Summer eel with ginseng - Detailed explanation of the tender and fragrant garlic braised eel step 9

  10. Stir-fry the condiments over high heat. Pour in the drained eel and stir-fry.

    Beginning of Summer eel with ginseng - Detailed explanation of the tender and fragrant garlic braised eel step 10

  11. The eel starts to roll up and changes color and smells fragrant.

    Beginning of Summer eel with ginseng - Detailed explanation of the tender and fragrant garlic braised eel step 11

  12. Add cooking wine to avoid fishy smell. Cooking wine and eel are a perfect match. After adding the eel, the meat becomes more fragrant and smooth.

    Beginning of Summer eel with ginseng - Detailed explanation of the tender and fragrant garlic braised eel step 12

  13. It tastes very fresh when cooked. The addition of extremely fresh flavor enhances the umami taste of eel.

    Beginning of Summer eel with ginseng - Detailed explanation of the tender and fragrant garlic braised eel step 13

  14. While stir-frying, add dark soy sauce to the pot for color.

    Beginning of Summer eel with ginseng - Detailed explanation of the tender and fragrant garlic braised eel step 14

  15. Add garlic cloves and stir-fry quickly over high heat. The boss means that the garlic cloves need to be burned until they are soft; therefore, they must be put in early, and the garlic flavor is blended into the eel meat, which is great! Don't put too much water at one time and add a small amount of water along the edge of the pot; this is also the conclusion the boss came to. However, if you think about it carefully, this fallacy seems to make some sense, so just follow this method! The boss thinks that cold water will lower the temperature of the hot pot, and the eel meat will become hard when it is cold. The reason for adding water is to make the eel soup rich and flavorful. If there is too much water, the soup of garlic-braised eel will be thin and not thick. Just simmer for a while.

    Beginning of Summer eel with ginseng - Detailed explanation of the tender and fragrant garlic braised eel step 15

  16. Put the chopped green pepper into the eel. Sauté until the green pepper pieces become soft. The green pepper is added after the garlic, and must be cooked until the green pepper is broken; this dish contains the aroma of eel, garlic, and pepper; only with these three flavors can the taste be pure.

    Beginning of Summer eel with ginseng - Detailed explanation of the tender and fragrant garlic braised eel step 16

  17. Then add sugar and salt and cook over low heat until the soup is thick, then thicken the gravy with water starch.

    Beginning of Summer eel with ginseng - Detailed explanation of the tender and fragrant garlic braised eel step 17

  18. The eel is already colored, and when the unique aroma of the garlic-braised eel wafts out, it's already making people salivate. At this time, you must calmly sprinkle in pepper and quickly put it on the plate. Otherwise, the boss will be left with only eel bones when he comes back, O(∩_∩)O~

    Beginning of Summer eel with ginseng - Detailed explanation of the tender and fragrant garlic braised eel step 18