Description
A premium seafood dish representing Shanghai cuisine. Julienned Yellow Eel is stir-fried sweet-and-savory with soy sauce, sugar, and Shaoxing wine until pitch-black and heavily thickened. Served with a dramatic tableside splash of smoking hot oil that sizzles and crackles over the eel.
Restaurants serving Xiang You Shan Hu (Shanghai Sizzling Eel Paste)
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On this site you can check dictionary details and, later, places to buy or eat related items.
The Recipe section below is a general reference, not a recipe from the listed shops.
Recipe
Ingredients
- Yellow eel
- Lard
- Soy sauce
- Dark soy
- Sugar
- Shaoxing wine
- Garlic
- White pepper
Instructions
- [Authentic Recipe]
- Blanch yellow eel, debone and julienne the meat.
- Heat lard in a wok, fry julienned scallion and ginger.
- Drop the eel strips in and flash-fry on high.
- Season heavily with soy, dark soy, sugar, and white pepper into a rich, sweet-savory profile.
- Pour a dash of premium broth, then thicken violently into a glue-like paste.
- Plate and pile a mountain of minced raw garlic, scallion, and white pepper in the center.
- Heat oil in a small pan until smoking.
- Tableside, violently splash this boiling oil over the garlic mountain. The crackling sound and exploding aroma signal it is ready.
Learn more Spice, substitutes, tips
Key spices
Aroma of hot-oil exploded garlic and white pepper sting
Substitutes at Japanese supermarkets
Substitute with julienned JP Conger eel or unglazed Unagi
Pairing
Warm Shaoxing Wine / White Rice
Trivia
[Trivia] 'Xiang You' means sizzling oil, 'Shan' is eel, and 'Hu' is a thick paste. It is a top-tier seafood banquet dish in the Jiangnan region. You can experience its true essence at deep, historic establishments like 'Shanghai Xiaochi' in Shinjuku.
Eating tips & etiquette
[Unique Eating] While the oil is still crackling (Xiang), vigorously mix the garlic topping completely into the eel paste before eating. The eel has a snapping, bouncy texture. Paired with the intense depth of lard, scooping it over white rice creates the ultimate rice thief.
Allergen
Seafood, Soybeans, Wheat