Fish Stew in an Iron Pot: A Treat from Snow Land

IN China, the northeast region is the first place to welcome the winter. When snow begins to fall and the land freezes over, people store up grain against the seemingly endless winter. This is a time of rest for both the land and the people who are busy during the rest of the year.

In northeast China, fish are an indispensable dish for a decent meal. In every household, you can find a shiny iron pot, an important cooking utensil that enables housewives to cook up mouth-watering dishes. Fish are usually stewed in this big iron pot over a fire of burning firewood. The iron pot itself is big enough to hold a large amount of food and is moderately thick to ensure that the food cooked inside is well done. The crackling sound of the burning fire combined with the rich aroma of burning firewood make the dinner environment hard to resist, and the food even more tantalizing.

As the fish is being stewed, flaky cornmeal pancakes are often baked on the sides of the iron pot. When the fish begins to give off its delicious aroma, the pancakes are just about to become spongy. Before savoring the fish, foodies must sample a bowl of tasty fish soup.

The temperature at night can drop to minus 15 degrees centigrade, creating the best environment to make frozen tofu. The lower the temperature, the further protein and water molecules in tofu are separated. The evenly-textured tofu turns sponge-like. Frozen tofu, a necessary ingredient for fish stew, is one of the favorite foods of the local people.

Put the eviscerated and scaled fish in the hot oil, and add water when it turns a golden color and becomes crispy. Half an hour later, tofu is added in. The honeycombed frozen tofu fully absorbs the broth and grows plump. Chinese cabbage and vermicelli are often stewed together.

The recipe works every time when handmade fermented soybean paste is used, accompanied with full-flavored soybean oil, scallion, ginger, and garlic.

There are other types of delicacies stewed in iron pots, for instance, chicken or goose stew. But for people at the meal, the most important thing is the gathering time to share food together.

Imagine such a scene. When temperatures outdoors plummet down to minus 20 or 30 degrees centigrade with snowflakes flying everywhere, people enjoy their time sitting cross-legged on a heated brick bed indoors, sweating in their T-shirts and devouring boiling hot food. While sipping a local-brand of liquor, they shoot the breeze in their local dialect, and watch performance of singing and dancing put on by girls in colorful costumes. As they enjoy their mealtime, the long winter is already near its end. C