Crispy Oil Eel Shreds

Ingredients

• 400 g eel shreds
• 40 g garlic
• 20 g ginger, minced
• 13 g rice wine
• 3 g light soy sauce
• 2 g oyster sauce
• 2 g dark soy sauce
• 2 g salt
• 6–15 g sugar
• 3.5–8 g white pepper powder
• 10 g cornstarch
• 50 g water
• 40 g garlic, minced
• 15 g spring onion, chopped
• 20 g pork lard

Method

Slice the eel lengthways into thirds, then cut across to produce fine shreds roughly 5 mm thick. Season with 0.5 g white pepper and 3 g rice wine, then add 5 g sesame oil and set aside for 15 minutes — the acid in the rice wine begins to denature the proteins, firming the flesh slightly, whilst the sesame oil coats the shreds to prevent them sticking during stir-frying.

Heat your wok until a bead of water skitters and evaporates instantly. Add vegetable oil to reach 60°C (medium-high heat — oil moves freely but doesn't smoke). Add half the minced garlic and all the ginger. Stir constantly for 15 seconds until fragrant; overcook aromatics here and they turn bitter and mask the eel's clean flavour. Add the eel shreds and stir-fry for 30 seconds over medium heat, breaking them apart as they cook. Pour 10 g rice wine around the edge of the wok — it will steam and lift the fond, adding complexity to your sauce. Stir continuously.

Pour in the light soy sauce, oyster sauce, and dark soy sauce in quick succession, folding the eel through the liquid. The combination balances umami — the soy contributes salt and depth, the oyster adds savouriness, whilst the dark soy brings a subtle sweetness and colour. Add salt, sugar (start with 6 g and adjust to taste), and 3 g white pepper. Mix the cornstarch with 50 g water to make a slurry and pour it in whilst stirring. Continue stirring for 30 seconds until the sauce visibly thickens and coats the eel shreds — you're activating the starch's thickening power through thickening and heat.

Transfer to a serving plate immediately. Scatter the remaining minced garlic and spring onion over the top. In a separate wok or small pan, heat the pork lard to 70°C — this is hot enough to carry flavour without browning the aromatics — and drizzle it evenly over the eel. The hot fat will bloom the garlic and spring onion, releasing their essential oils and creating the crispy, oily finish that defines the dish's character. Serve at once.