Ingredients
25 g of gastrodia tuber (tian ma), 10 g each of Szechuan lovage root (chuan xiong) and poria mushroom (fu ling), 1 fresh carp (1500 g / about 3.3 lbs).
Seasonings
Soy sauce, cooking wine, salt, MSG, sugar, white pepper, sesame oil, scallions, ginger, and water starch slurry, each to taste.
Instructions
1. Cut the Szechuan lovage and poria cocos into large slices and soak them in the second rinsing water from rice, then add the gastrodia tuber to the same rice water and soak for 4-6 hours; remove the gastrodia tuber, steam it over rice until fully cooked, slice it, and set aside; scale the fresh carp, remove the gills and innards, clean it thoroughly, and place it in a basin.
2. Place the gastrodia slices inside the fish head and belly, return the fish to the basin, then add scallions, ginger, and enough water to cover. Steam in a steamer basket for about 30 minutes until the fish is cooked through. Once done, discard the scallions and ginger.
3. In a separate bowl, mix water starch, clear broth, sugar, salt, cooking wine, soy sauce, MSG, pepper, and sesame oil, bring to a boil and thicken into a sauce, then pour over the Gastrodia elata fish head to finish. This dish calms liver wind, stops convulsions and pain, and promotes qi and blood circulation.