The quintessential Cantonese condiment - Fried Dace with Black Bean
You've probably seen this at your local Chinese supermarket, but if you didn't know what it was, buy this next time, it's an absolutely fantastic ingredient. (豆豉鲮鱼炒饭/炒油麦菜)
If you're Cantonese, you probably already knew what this is. This is Dausee Lengyu, Douchi Lingyu (豆豉鲮鱼), it's fried dace soaked with fermented black bean… it might not sound like much, but it's actually great with fried rice or fried vegetables, and also, it's a cultural icon here in South China.
This's so famous, of course, not only just because it's tasty – back in the late 19th century, it was the first foodstuff that was ever being canned in China. And even predating that, this fried fish was already on American soil and consumed in Chinatowns globally.
So back in mid-19th century, many Cantonese started to go to American west coast during the Gold Rush, among many things that they brought with them are this kind of fried fish. So back in the days, it was a long and trying journey crossing the Pacific, so in order to feed themselves, they would get some dace, fry it up and soak it in oil with some fermented black beans, and toss it in a clay jar. And that's the stuff that they would bring on board with them.
As the years went on, this stuff became a mainstay on Cantonese merchant vessels. And in the year 1893, China's first canned food factory "Kwuang Mou Hueng" (广茂香) was founded in Guangzhou, the very first product that they launched was this fried fish with fermented black beans. And later in 1902, the factory registered the brand "Eagle Coin" (鹰金钱), and over the century, that became THE very can that we know and love.
History aside, let's talk about how to enjoy it.
Well, the most classic way is to eat it along with white rice or congee, that alone is a guaranteed rice killer. But using it to fried rice or stir fried vegetable are two other classics you'll often see, and let's show you how to make it.
As a Base for Fried Rice: Fried Rice with Dace and Black Beans (豆豉鲮鱼炒饭)
Steamed rice, 250g. This would be from ~150g of dried rice.
Canned fish, 1 fish.
Canned black beans, 1 tbsp.
Garlic, 2 cloves.
Seasoning:
Salt, ¼ tsp.
Sugar, ½ tsp.
Light soy sauce, 1 tsp.
Oil for frying, ~1 tbsp.
Process:
Steam 150g of dried rice to yield 250g of cooked rice, or use leftover rice.
(How to steam rice: Rinse 150g rice 3-4 times until the water loses about half of its opacity. Par-boil for ~3 minutes, or until the grain becomes white and the water becomes cloudy. Be sure to stir as you add the rice into the boiling water, else it'll stick to the bottom. Strain. Immediately move over to your steamer, lay on a wet cloth. Poke a few holes in the rice to let it steam evenly. Steam over high for 10 minutes. Shut off the heat. Let it sit over the hot water for another 5 minutes. Fluff, then lay out on a plate to cool down a touch. It'll be ready to go in 15-20 minutes.)
Finely mince 1 piece of canned fish and 2 cloves of garlic. Roughly chop 1 tbsp of canned black beans.
Longyau: Get your wok piping hot, shut off the heat, add in ~1 tbsp of oil and give it a swirl to get a non-stick surface.
Over low flame, add in the minced garlic, fish, and chopped black beans. Fry until aromatic, ~1 minute.
Increase the flame to high. Add in 250g of rice. Break it up a bit, stir fry together until the rice is loose and the grains are separate, about two minutes.
Season with ¼ tsp salt, ½ tsp sugar, and swirl 1 tsp soy sauce over the spatula and around the sides of the wok. Fry for ~30 seconds to mix.
Note: For this recipe, we used Steamed Rice as a base for the fried rice. Here’s the steam rice video if you want a more clear visual: "Best Rice for Fried Rice".
Leftover rice is also ok, you'll just need to break up the clumps and fry for longer than freshly steamed rice.
As a Base for Fried Vegetable: Stir Fried Yau Mak Choy with Dace and Black Beans (豆豉鲮鱼炒油麦菜)
Youmaicai/Yau Mak Choy (Taiwanese lettuce/A菜), 300g. Or Bok Choy or Swiss Chard as alternatives.
Canned fish, ½ fish.
Canned black beans, 1 tbsp.
Oil from the fish can, 1 tbsp.
Aromatics:
Garlic, 2 cloves.
Ginger, ~1 inch.
Seasoning:
Salt, ¼ tsp.
Sugar, ½ tsp.
Light soy sauce, 1 tsp.
Liaojiu (Shaoxing wine), ~1 tbsp.
Oil for frying, ~1 tbsp.
Process:
Roughly chop ½ canned fish and 1 tbsp of canned black beans. Slice 2 cloves of garlic and ~1 inch of ginger into pieces.
Wash 300g of Youmaicai, rip it in half into stems and leaves.
Longyau: Get your wok piping hot, shut off the heat, add in ~1 tbsp of oil and give it a swirl to get a non-stick surface.
Over high flame, add the sliced garlic and ginger, quick fry for ~15 seconds. Add in the vegetable stems. Fry for ~2 minutes, or until the stems obviously wilt a bit.
Add the leaves. Fry for ~30 seconds. Push all vegetables up the side of the wok.
Add the chopped fish and beans, fry briefly in the oil. Swirl in ~1 tbsp of Shaoxing wine. Quick mix with everything.
Season with ¼ tsp salt, ½ tsp sugar, and swirl in 1 tsp soy sauce over your spatula and around the side of the wok. Quick mix, then add 1 tbsp of oil from the fish can. Give another quick mix.
Note: If using Bok Choy or other firmer vegetables, consider blanching them first. For blanched vegetables, add them after frying the aromatics and continue with the process.