[Main ingredients and auxiliary ingredients]

Small long fish (1000g), monosodium glutamate (1g), balsamic vinegar (115g), white pepper (0.5g), ginger slices (10g), Shaoxing wine (10g), garlic cloves (10g), coarse salt (75g), water starch (25g), onion knots (5g), soy sauce (25g), cooked lard ( l00g)

[Cooking method]

1. Put 2000g of water, coarse salt, 100g of balsamic vinegar, scallion knots and ginger slices into the pot and bring to a boil over high heat. , quickly pour in the long fish, cover the pot tightly, wait until the long fish stops moving and opens its mouth, add a small amount of water after the water boils, and gently push the long fish over with a spoon, simmer for about 3 minutes, and turn the long fish over. Take out the fish, wash it in clean water, take it out, pinch the back meat in half, blanch it in a pot of boiling water, take it out and drain off the water.

2. Heat the wok over high heat, scoop out 75 grams of cooked lard, and when it is 70% hot, add garlic slices and fry until fragrant, add long fish back meat, add Shaoxing wine, Thicken the soup with MSG, soy sauce, and water starch, add 15 grams of balsamic vinegar, pour in 25 grams of cooked lard, turn the pan over and place on a plate, sprinkle with white pepper and serve.

[Key to the process]

After putting the live long fish into the boiling water pot, cover the pot tightly immediately to prevent the long fish from escaping.

[Flavour characteristics]

1. Eel, commonly known as "Long Fish" in Huaiyin. It tastes very delicious. There is a folk proverb that goes, "Eels compete with ginseng in Xiaoshu".

2. The chefs of Lianghuai are good at cooking eels into a banquet, which is called "Lianghuai Long Fish Banquet". There are as many as 108 types of dishes, and the dishes are endless and the taste is unique. The soft pocket long fish is a famous dish in the long fish banquet.

3. It is said that in ancient times, the long fish was boiled by tying the live long fish with gauze and putting it into a pot of boiling water with onions, ginger, salt and vinegar. Remove when open. Take the backbone and cook it. When cooked, the fish meat is very tender. Pick it up with chopsticks and let the two ends hang down, just like the bellyband on a child's chest. When eating, you can hold it with a spoon, hence the name "soft pocket long fish".

4. This dish uses small, thick fish that is eaten around the Dragon Boat Festival and is carefully cooked. After being cooked, the back will be shiny black, extremely soft and tender, fresh and refreshing, and rich in garlic aroma.

The soft-double long fish is a famous special dish in the history of Funing County, and has now become a traditional brand dish in Huaiyang cuisine. On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the founding of Yancheng in 2003, the soft-double long fish selected by Funing Xinggu Hotel was rated first among the 20 best dishes in Yancheng City.

The long fish is eel. The production process is: select 1-2 double wild eel, pierce it with boiling water until cooked, then put the blanched long fish into cold water, and then use a bamboo knife to cut it into long pieces. Shredded fish meat. Choose an appropriate amount of long fish midloin and make long fish shreds as wide as chopsticks. Mix soy sauce, red yeast rice, sugar, and starch into a thick condiment. Add pepper, ginger, onion, and garlic as auxiliary ingredients. Boil the soybean oil in the pot, put the long fish meat into the pot and fry for a few shovels, then add the seasonings, stir-fry for a while, put the fried long fish meat into a plate, pour it with the fried cold sesame oil, and then Sprinkle with some pepper and serve.

This dish is crispy but not greasy, fragrant and mellow, salty and sweet, and has a mild taste. The production pays special attention to the matching of auxiliary ingredients and the use of heat to maintain the original flavor of the main dish and at the same time reflect the penetration of seasonings. .

Historical records indicate that in the 10th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty, Zuo Zongtang, the governor of Liangjiang, inspected the flooding of the Huaihe River in Yuntiguan and was stationed in Huai'an Prefecture. The prefect of Huai'an specially asked a chef from Funing to make a soft-pocket long fish for Mr. Zuo to taste. On the recommendation of Zuo Zongtang, Ruodou Changyu was sent to Beijing as one of the tributes from Huai'an Prefecture to congratulate Cixi on her 70th birthday.