Dried Flatfish (Flounder/Sole)
沙茶醤のコクの正体！台南の白菜鍋を支える「平目（カレイ）」の干物
Description
Dried flatfish like flounder or sole. Smelly and hard raw, but frying in oil releases intense umami, dominating southern Taiwanese cuisine.
Classification: For Adults,Dried Goods,Tainan's Secret Dashi
Shops selling Dried Flatfish (Flounder/Sole)
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On this site you can check dictionary details and, later, places to buy or eat related items.
The How to use section below is a general reference, not instructions from the listed shops.
How to use
Ingredients
- Dried flatfish (Flounder
- Sole
- etc.)
Instructions
- [Prep/Usage]
- [Frying Process (Absolutely Essential)] Cut the paper-thin dried Bian Yu bite-sized with scissors, slowly deep-fry (low-medium temp) in generous oil until golden (or fry in generous oil). *Skipping this makes it too fishy to eat.
- Remove fried Bian Yu, crush to powder in a mortar, or add directly to dishes.
- [Shacha Sauce Base] The unique seafood richness of Taiwan's versatile BBQ sauce 'Shacha' is based on this fried flatfish powder.
- [Cabbage Pot (Bai Cai Lu)] Indispensable as dashi for Tainan's local 'Bai Cai Lu' (gooey braised cabbage). Adding fried Bian Yu explosively deepens the soup's umami.
Learn more Substitutes, pairings, tips
Key spices
Intense savoriness of fried fish and ocean aroma
Substitutes at Japanese supermarkets
Dried anchovies or scallops (but won't yield the unique deep richness)
Pairing
Bai Cai Lu (Braised cabbage), Shacha Hot Pot, Various Tainan thick soups
Trivia
[For Adults] Used similarly to Japanese 'Ago-dashi (flying fish)' or 'Niboshi (anchovy)', but flatfish's unique fat and gelatin yield richer depth when fried. If you drink soup at a Tainan stall and find 'mysterious brown fragments' sunken at the bottom, that's Bian Yu. The shadow ruler of Tainan umami.
Eating tips & etiquette
[Unique Eating] Soak crispy fried 'Bian Yu' fragments in hot braised cabbage (Bai Cai Lu) soup, chewing them when slightly softened to taste the intense fish dashi!
Allergen
Seafood