Stewed Small Fish with Cornmeal Cakes

Stewed Small Fish with Cornmeal Cakes

　　　　Authentic Stewed Small Fish with Cornmeal Cakes isn’t made as separate dishes but rather prepared together in a single pot — known as “cooked in one pot.” This means both the cornmeal cakes and the fish are cooked simultaneously and served together, offering a flavor that rivals that of delicacies from mountains and seas. To make this dish, choose small fish, preferably live white-scaled crucian carp with tender flesh and soft bones. The cornmeal used should be fresh, from the current year’s harvest. In a rural kitchen, a large iron pot is heated; the bottom is used to stew the fish while the sides are lined with cornmeal cakes pressed all around the rim. The firewood shouldn’t burn too fiercely or for too long — careful control of the heat is essential to let the seasonings infuse gently. When the time comes and the lid is lifted, a rich aroma fills the air. The cornmeal cakes are golden, with a crisp, caramelized crust. Take a bite, and they’re crunchy and fragrant. Paired with the stewed small fish, you won’t even need to spit out the bones. The taste, the freshness — it's so good you just can't get enough.

(Tianjin)

　The most representative and popular local snack of Tianjin is Stewed Small Fish with Cornmeal Cakes. The cornmeal cakes are made by mixing hot water with corn flour, then hand-patting the dough into thick oval-shaped flatbreads which are stuck around the edge of a stove-top pot and baked. For the stewed fish, small crucian carp are gutted, coated with flour or egg white, then deep-fried until golden in oil. They are then placed in a pot, sprinkled with scallions, ginger, garlic, and star anise, and simmered with rice wine, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, salt, fermented flour paste, MSG, and an appropriate amount of water to create the broth. The mixture is gently simmered until the fish becomes tender, then drizzled with sesame oil before serving. Eaten together, the steaming hot Stewed Small Fish with Cornmeal Cakes offer an incredibly delicious and aromatic taste that is truly delightful.