Braised Sand Arrowfish with Ginkgo Nuts

Braised Sand Arrowfish with Ginkgo Nuts

　　Braised Sand Arrowfish with Ginkgo Nuts is a specialty dish from the Dongxing area. One jin (approximately 500g) of sand arrowfish is paired with about three liang (150g) of ginkgo nuts. First, the fish is descaled, gutted, and cleaned. Heat oil in a pan, add the fish and cook until the skin turns yellow, then add the ginkgo nuts along with an appropriate amount of monosodium glutamate (MSG), oyster sauce, and water to braise. After five minutes, thicken the sauce with a cornstarch slurry, drizzle in some hot oil before serving. This dish features tender and fresh fish meat with the fragrant aroma of ginkgo nuts, making it a popular choice to serve with congee or rice. It is said that during General Chen Jitang’s governance of Guangdong, he had a particular fondness for this dish and often asked his hometown to send him the ingredients.