Fried rice vermicelli with eel and yellow chives
'Eel at Minor Heat is as good as ginseng': strips of eel fried with ginger and tossed with yellow chives and rice vermicelli — fragrant and warming.
- 25 min
- Serves 2
- Stir-fry
- Medium
Why it suits you: Yang-deficient people feel the cold and have chilly hands and feet. Minor Heat is scorching, but air conditioning and iced drinks still wear down yang. The old saying goes 'eel at Minor Heat is as good as ginseng': eel warmly nourishes qi and blood, while yellow chives and ginger warm the middle — using summer's abundant yang to treat winter ailments.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 10 min- 1Soak the vermicelli in warm water for 10 minutes until soft, drain and snip shorter. Toss the eel with a splash of the wine and a little pepper.
- 2Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok, fry the ginger and garlic until fragrant, add the eel and stir-fry over high heat for 1 minute, splash in the rest of the wine, then set aside.
- 3Add the remaining oil, then the vermicelli and red pepper with the soy sauces, sugar and 2 tbsp water, tossing with chopsticks until evenly coloured.
- 4Return the eel with the yellow chives, toss over high heat for 1 minute, sprinkle with pepper and serve.
Cautions
- Eel must be freshly killed and thoroughly cooked; avoid it during a cold or fever or with a hot, sore throat.
Chef's tips
- Ask the fishmonger to clean and shred the eel; fry it first and return it at the end so the strips stay whole.
The TCM view
Rice-field eel is sweet and warm, tonifying deficiency, boosting qi and blood, strengthening the sinews and dispelling wind-damp. Yellow chives are pungent and warm, warming the middle, moving qi and supporting kidney yang. Ginger is slightly warm, dispelling cold, and white pepper is hot, warming the middle. Warming and tonifying without heaviness, it supports a yang-deficient body while yang is outwardly abundant in summer.
