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Dry-Braised Fish

Manuscript recipe entry title: "Dry-Braised Fish with Diced Fatback" · Recorded in The True Craft of China's Sichuan Cuisine Masters

This tool is built from the "Dry-Braised Fish with Diced Fatback" entry and the general "dry-braising" technique discussion in The True Craft of China's Sichuan Cuisine Masters manuscript · For educational reference only

📋 A Note on Evidence Strength

This page's source material is the "Dry-Braised Fish with Diced Fatback" entry (with a precise recipe) in The True Craft of China's Sichuan Cuisine Masters manuscript, plus a passage from the same manuscript's general discussion of "braising" technique that explains "dry-braising." No other historical events (state-banquet menus, praise from notable guests, etc.) about this dish are currently on record. Manuscript recipe

⚠️ A Note Distinguishing Two Kinds of Source Material

The manuscript's "11. Braising" chapter contains a general passage on the "dry-braising" technique (see the "Background on Dry-Braising Technique" card below), explaining its definition and key points of execution — this is a general discussion of the technique, without precise gram amounts and without a recipe tied to any one specific dish. There is separately a formal recipe entry with precise gram amounts, "Dry-Braised Fish with Diced Fatback," and it's this entry's data that the recipe table on this page uses. Both come from the same manuscript, The True Craft of China's Sichuan Cuisine Masters, just from different chapters with different kinds of material — they are presented faithfully, side by side. Do not mistake the general technique discussion for a formal recipe with gram amounts. Two different kinds of material, presented side by side, faithfully

📖 Background on "Dry-Braising" Technique (Manuscript's General Discussion)

The manuscript's "11. Braising" chapter reads: "Dry-braising does not use a bean-starch slurry to thicken the sauce. Over high heat, the sauce is reduced until it turns glossy with oil; when no trace of liquid broth remains, this is called dry-braising. Examples include dry-braised prawns, dry-braised fish, dry-braised shark fin, dry-braised scallop, dry-braised deer tendon, dry-braised beef tripe, and so on."

It also includes a passage describing the technique: "For example, the method and characteristics of dry-braised fish are as follows: scale the fish, remove the gills, clean out and rinse the innards, score the fish's sides with cuts an inch apart, rub cooking wine and salt onto the fish, dice fatback into soybean-sized pieces and fry them dry and crisp before setting them aside in a bowl, and mince the doubanjiang finely for later use. Add cold oil to the wok, place it over high heat, and once hot, deep-fry the fish and remove it; leave a little oil in the wok, fry the doubanjiang dry and crisp, add stock, bring to a boil, strain out the doubanjiang solids, add the fish, diced fatback, ginger, garlic, and cooking wine, move it to the heat and braise, and once the fish is cooked through, move the wok to high heat, add MSG, vinegar, and scallion, and cook until the sauce shows oil and liquid but no trace of broth, then remove and plate. Characteristics: shows oil and sauce but no broth, richly flavored, fresh, and mildly spicy, golden and glossy in color."

⚠️ The above is the manuscript's general discussion of the "dry-braising" cooking technique, without precise gram amounts — it should not be used as a formal recipe. The recipe table in the body of this page uses the "Dry-Braised Fish with Diced Fatback" entry below, which does have precise gram amounts; the two are not the same material.

🎯 Dry-Braised Fish with Diced Fatback · Preparation Stages Overview

🔪 Prep and marinating
Score the fish diagonally
Marinate with cooking wine, salt, white pepper
🔥 Fry the fish to set its shape
Briefly deep-fry in oil at ~180°C, remove
Pour off excess oil
🌶️ Fry the doubanjiang and braise the fish
Fry the doubanjiang until red
Add stock and fish, braise through over low heat
✨ Reduce the sauce to a glossy finish
Reduce until it shows oil but no broth
Add vinegar and scallion, pour over the fish

The four stages above are distilled from the original method text in the "Dry-Braised Fish with Diced Fatback" entry of The True Craft of China's Sichuan Cuisine Masters; see "Follow the Old Master" for the complete steps.

📋 Dry-Braised Fish with Diced Fatback · Formal Recipe

The recipe data below is retold from the original text of the "Dry-Braised Fish with Diced Fatback" entry in The True Craft of China's Sichuan Cuisine Masters, and is not the same material as the general "dry-braising" technique discussion above. A note in the original manuscript: by this method, grass carp can be substituted with mandarin fish, common carp, or crucian carp, whole or as a mid-section cut. Manuscript recipe

Category Ingredient Amount Notes
Main Grass carp 1000g Can substitute mandarin fish, common carp, or crucian carp; whole or mid-section
Accompaniment Diced fatback 75g Skin removed, diced to the size of soybeans
Seasonings Doubanjiang 75g Fried until red
Cooking oil 175g For frying the fish and the doubanjiang
Soy sauce, salt, MSG, cooking wine, white pepper Each to taste No specific gram amounts noted in the manuscript
Diced ginger, diced garlic, diced scallion Each to taste For aroma and garnish
Vinegar To taste Added just before reducing the sauce

Ratio visualization (the three items with precise gram amounts in the manuscript, baselined to 175g of cooking oil):

Cooking oil175 g
Doubanjiang75 g
Diced fatback75 g

Only doubanjiang, diced fatback, and cooking oil are noted with precise gram amounts in this entry; the other seasonings (soy sauce, salt, MSG, cooking wine, white pepper, diced ginger, diced garlic, diced scallion, vinegar) are listed only by category, without gram amounts in the manuscript, and are not included in the bar chart. Bar lengths are proportional to gram amounts, for visual reference only.

See "Follow the Old Master" for the complete method.

Source: recipe and method drawn from the "Dry-Braised Fish with Diced Fatback" entry in The True Craft of China's Sichuan Cuisine Masters

👨‍🍳 Dry-Braised Fish with Diced Fatback · Method

The steps below break down the original method text of the "Dry-Braised Fish with Diced Fatback" entry in The True Craft of China's Sichuan Cuisine Masters into four steps. The manuscript does not record any spoken account from Chen Songru himself about the specific operations, and the "master says" column notes this faithfully. Tap the circle on the right after completing each step.

0 / 4 steps completed

    ✅ Dry-Braised Fish with Diced Fatback · Self-Check

    The check items below are based on the core standard from the manuscript's general discussion of "dry-braising" technique, along with the assessment given in the original text of the "Dry-Braised Fish with Diced Fatback" entry, to test whether this dish meets the mark.

      0 / 0 points met
      ⚠️ Mandatory Persona Disclosure

      This AI converses with you in the persona of state-banquet Sichuan cuisine master Chen Songru (1921—1993). It is an inferential persona simulation built from his biographical record and disciples' recollections — it is not a complete restoration of Chen Songru's actual thinking. The biography itself tends toward embellishment.

      You can treat what I say as a reference for how an old-school Sichuan chef might think, not as historical fact. Important note: the current source material for this dish is the "Dry-Braised Fish with Diced Fatback" entry and the general "dry-braising" technique discussion in The True Craft of China's Sichuan Cuisine Masters manuscript — no other historical events (state-banquet menus, praise from notable guests, etc.) about this dish are currently on record. The general technique discussion and the formal recipe are two different kinds of material, as explained in detail in the "Technique Matrix" module. The keyword-matched replies are likewise adapted from genuine historical material, not purely invented dialogue.

      Click the button below to confirm you understand this disclosure.
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