China · Home-style
Carp Stewed with Napa Cabbage
A rustic stew in which a whole carp is fried and then slowly braised with baby napa cabbage until the leaves collapse into the sauce.
Baby napa cabbage is the point of the dish, since it turns silky in a long braise and soaks up the salty broth, which is why it is added early and cooked until it collapses. The seasoning here leans on Pixian bean paste rather than a sweet or sour sauce, giving the stew a more robust character. Scoring the fish before frying lets the broth reach the flesh, and the whole thing is finished once the liquid has almost gone.
Ingredients
- cooking oil10 ml
- ginger3 pieces
- garlic3 pieces
- baby napa cabbage13 pieces
- salt8 g
- dark soy sauce3 ml
- light soy sauce6 ml
- cassia bark1 pieces
- star anise3 pieces
- Pixian broad-bean paste20 g
- dried chillies6 pieces
Directions
- 1
Wash the carp and score it, cutting several slashes in the body so the flavour can get in.
- 2
Wash the baby napa cabbage and set it on a plate.
- 3
Add oil to the wok and, once it is hot, fry the salt, ginger, garlic, Pixian broad-bean paste, cassia bark and star anise until fragrant.
- 4
Lay the fish in the wok and fry it for three minutes, turning every thirty seconds.
- 5
Add water, as close to the level of the fish as you can and a little less if you prefer, along with the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce and the baby napa cabbage.
- 6
Stew over high heat for fifteen to twenty minutes and, when the liquid is nearly gone, add the salt and serve.
Source: HowToCook · WorldBite adaptation · Unlicense source text; bilingual recipe adapted by WorldBite.