Cantonese Braised Pomelo Skin with Fish Stock is a traditional Chinese recipe (from Hong Kong) for a classic accompaniment of grilled, washed and braised pomelo skin served in a fish stock base that's often served as a lucky dish for Chinese New Year. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Chinese version of: Cantonese Braised Pomelo Skin with Fish Stock.
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Cantonese Braised Pomelo Skin with Fish Stock (鲮鱼焖柚皮). The pomelo, a member of the citrus family, is believed to bring constant prosperity, also has a pronunciation that symbolize good luck. The Chinese word for pomelos (柚 yòu) sounds similar to 'to have' (有 yǒu); disregarding its tone, however, it sounds exactly like 'again' (又 yòu). To make use of the flesh you could always prepare the Cantonese Braised Pomelo Skin with Fish Stock.
Ingredients:
1 Large pomelo (柚子/沙田柚)
For the soup:
250g Fish bones and heads (mud carp/鲮鱼) or prawn shells, 250g.
1l Water
1 Garlic clove.
1 tbsp Shaoxing wine, 料酒/绍兴酒
Seasoning for the braise:
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Sugar
1/4 tsp ground White pepper (白胡椒粉).
1/2 tbsp Dried prawn roe (虾子), or 1 tsp dried prawn powder (虾米打粉)
Slurry for the braise:
1 tsp cornflour (生粉)
1 tsp Dark soy sauce (老抽)
2 tbsp Water
3 tbsp Lard (猪油) [1 tbsp for soup, 1 tbsp to start braise, 1 tbsp to finish braise]
spring onions, for garnishing
Method:
Peel the pomelo skin as you usually would to get to the pomelo flesh. In this case, however, don't discard the skin as it's this we need for the dish.
Grill the pomelo skin until completely black. Dunk in water & scrape off the charred bits. Change the water between washing each piece.
Soak and squeeze the skin 8-9 times or until the water is clear and no longer slimy.
Cut off the hard end of the pomelo skin, then cut into three pieces. Soak and squeeze once more time.
Bring a pan of water to a boil, add the pomelo skins, return to a boil and blanch the pomelo for 5 minutes, covered. At this point remove with a spider and cool in a bowl of water. Change the water, soak for a few minutes the drain the pomelo skin pieces and squeeze out any excess liquid one final time.
To prepare the fish soup: Fry 250g fish bones in 1 tbsp lard until slightly browned (about 90 seconds). Add 1l cold water water. Bringto a boil then cook for about 5 minutes, then strain the liquid free of the bones. (If using prawn shells, cook for 30-45 minutes)
Braise the pomelo skins: Fry 1 clove of garlic in 1 tbsp lard, then add ~1 tbsp Shaoxing wine. Quick mix, add soup back in, season with ½ tsp salt & ½ tsp sugar, add pomelo skins. Covered and boil for ~5 minutes or until a chopstick can poke through the skin.
Season with ¼ tsp white pepper and ½ tbsp dried shrimp roe (or 1 tsp dried shrimp powder), add 1 tbsp lard, thicken with the slurry (1 tsp cornstarch, 1 tsp dark soy sauce, 2 tbsp water). Cook for about 30 more seconds, then sprinkle over some sliced spring onions.
Note for Dried Prawn Powder: Blitz about 20 dried prawns (I get mine from the local Nigerian shop) in a blender or about 10 in a spice grinder/food processor. If stringy, finely mince so they disappear into the braise.
Note for Dried Prawn Roe: Apparently Dried Prawn/Shrimp Roe is available on Amazon. But it's not really mainstay at most Chinese supermarkets in the West.
