Guilin dry pot fish

Guilin Dry-Pot Fish is a "double-flavor" delicacy that shows the local culinary wisdom, divided into two completely different ways of eating: "dried fish" and "raw fish". For the "dried fish" method, the fish is first cut into pieces, marinated with salt and cooking wine, then fried in oil until golden and crispy, drained, and placed in a dry pot to simmer slowly with green peppers, onions, and other vegetables. The crispy fish skin absorbs the fragrance of the side dishes, and the meat is tender and flavorful when eaten. The "raw fish" method uses live fish killed on the spot, cut into thin slices, quickly stir-fried in hot oil to retain the tenderness of the fish, and then added with bean paste, Chinese prickly ash, and other spices to stir-fry a red oil with a spicy aroma. Regardless of the method, the dry-pot base has a secret——the sauce boiled with pork bone soup is added with more than ten kinds of spices such as star anise and cinnamon, which bubbles and smells fragrant when heated. When eating this dish, you can first taste the fish, then 涮 (shuan, blanch) side dishes such as bean sprouts and lotus root slices. The hot, spicy, and fresh taste is addictive, especially suitable for dispelling cold on rainy days. Foreign visitors are often amazed at how the same ingredient can present such rich taste changes.