Ningxiang Shark’s Fin

Ningxiang Shark’s Fin

　　Ningxiang Shark’s Fin (Stewed Eel with Sweet Potato Noodles) The eel meat is tender, delicious, and highly nutritious, containing 17.2% protein, 1.2% fat, 1% ash content, as well as thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, ascorbic acid, and nutrients such as calcium, phosphorus, and iron. It has a sweet and warm nature, is non-toxic, nourishes the blood, strengthens the muscles and bones, and dispels rheumatism. The sweet potato noodles are soft yet chewy, resembling shark’s fin in appearance. Stewed eel with sweet potato noodles is a distinctive folk dish from Ningxiang, known as “Ningxiang Shark’s Fin.” The finished dish is smooth, soft, fragrant, and rich in nutrition. During the Dragon Boat Festival each year, every household in Ningxiang must prepare this dish, and it is also a popular delicacy at banquets throughout the year.

　　Ingredients: 400g eel (about the thickness of a finger), 300g sweet potato noodles. Seasonings: garlic, old ginger, scallions, perilla, salt, MSG, cooking oil, vinegar.

　　Preparation

　　Method: (1) Soak the eel in clean water for one to two days until it expels any muddy taste, then slaughter it, remove the internal organs, and mince the eel flesh into a paste. (2) Soak the sweet potato noodles in hot water to soften. Dice the old ginger and garlic, slice the scallions into small pieces, chop the perilla, and crush the pepper for later use. (3) Heat the pan until hot, add lard and heat to 60–70% heat. Add the ginger and garlic to sauté until aromatic, then add the eel paste and stir-fry. Pour in vinegar and continue stir-frying until the eel paste turns fragrantly browned. Then pour in broth and simmer together with the sweet potato noodles. Add seasonings such as salt and MSG, then add perilla, scallion, and pepper before serving.