Ingredients
1000 g (about 2.2 lbs) eel, 150 g cooked ham, 100 g (about 1/2 cup) chicken broth.
Seasonings
5 g Chinese angelica root, 10 g Codonopsis root, 3 g salt, 15 g Shaoxing wine, 20 g each scallion and ginger, 1 g MSG, and white pepper to taste.
Instructions
1. Slit open the eel's belly, remove the entrails and bones, then wash clean. Blanch in boiling water, remove and scrape off the mucus. Cut off the head and tail, then slice into 6 cm (about 2.5-inch) segments. Slice the cooked ham; wash the ginger and scallions, slice the ginger and cut the scallions into sections.
2. Fill a pot with water and add half the ginger, scallions, and cooking wine. Once the water comes to a boil, blanch the eel segments in the boiling water, then remove and drain. Arrange the eel in a serving dish, then top with ham slices, Chinese angelica root, codonopsis root, ginger slices, scallion segments, cooking wine, white pepper, and salt. Pour in clear chicken broth, cover the dish, and seal the lid with cotton paper. Steam in a bamboo steamer for about 1 hour. Remove from the steamer, unseal, discard the ginger and scallions, and stir in MSG to taste. This dish features tender, flavorful eel in a clear, rich broth, and is known to replenish vital energy, promote body fluids, and moisten dryness.