Simmered Black Carp Head & Tail, in the Henan cuisine category, is a famous traditional dish among Han Chinese in Kaifeng City. It is purplish red, wonderfully fragrant, fresh and tender. Put a head bone of the fish into your mouth and you can suck in the fish brain. What’s more, fish that increases your appetite automatically separates from the head bone as you suck. The dish was already known as a “unique delicacy” throughout the Central Plains in the late Qing Dynasty and in the early stage of the Republic of China. In the early years of the Republic of China, Kang Youwei tasted it for the first time on his academic tour to Kaifeng City, the ancient capital, and sent the message that it had much to recommend itself in what he wrote down—“the taste sweeps even Houjing away”. Thinking what he said was far from enough, Kang gifted a folding fan to Huang Runsheng, a master chef in Youyi Village. This has become a much-told story in which men of letters cultivate friendship with men of the kitchen.
 

Introduction
“Head & Tail” in the brand name does not necessarily mean the ingredients are fish heads and tails and nothing more—a proper amount of fish is also needed. A black carp weighing 2,000 to 2,500 grams is the main ingredient, which is paired with water-soaked winter bamboo shoots, scallion sections, ginger lumps, and water-soaked mushrooms, mixed with sugar, cooking wine, salt water, soy sauce, and monosodium glutamate, and supplemented by cooked lard and soup-stock.
The head and tail of the black carp are cut up and then placed flat on both ends of a simmering plate with the fish skin in contact with the bottom. Fine fish lumps are put between the head and the tail, and less superior fish is laid on the edge to form a circle. Winter bamboo shoots are chopped into cubes. Mushrooms, scallion sections, and ginger lumps are placed on the pot base. The fish is slid into the oil in the pot and fried until both sides are as yellow as persimmons. Then, it is slid onto the pot base with the side with skin on facing downwards. After that, it is poured into the pot of well concocted seasoning and minor ingredients. Simmer it over high-temperature fire, and reduce the sauce over a small or medium fire; when the sauce thickens and the fish is bright red, scoop it up.
 

When served, it is purplish red, wonderfully fragrant, fresh and tender. Put a head bone of the fish into your mouth and you can suck in the fish brain. What’s more, fish that increases your appetite automatically separates from the head bone as you suck.

Preparation Technique
Style of cooking

Henan cuisine
Major ingredients

1,250 grams of braised black carp head & tail.
Minor ingredients

Winter bamboo shoots: 100 grams; water-soaked mushrooms, scallion sections and ginger lumps: 2.5 grams each.
Condiments

Lard: 200 grams; soy sauce: 50 grams; monosodium glutamate: 2.5 grams; cooking wine: 25 grams; salt water: 10 grams; sugar: 30 grams; soup-stock: 400 grams.
Process

1. Start from behind the pectoral fins and cut off the head; begin where it is 5 cm away from the tail fins and cut off the tail. Insert the knife between the gills and the body, chop the head off the neck. Apply the knife vertically and cut the head into rectangular lumps 13 mm in width with its rear point. The neck is also chopped into lumps. Then, the fish head is placed flat in the plate. The fish tail is chopped off the body from where the tail fins are. It is cut into 5 cubes, and placed where the tail is supposed to be in the plate. Additionally, a 3-cm middle section of the fish is minced and placed in the middle of the tail. Winter bamboo shoots are cut into cubes, and mushrooms, scallion sections, and ginger lumps are placed onto the pot base.
2. Put the pot over fire, pour in lard, put the head and tail in the pot, fry them until both sides are yellowish, and slide them onto the pot base with the side with skin on facing downwards.
3. Put the pot over fire, add lard and soup-stock, concoct condiments, put the pot base into the pot, simmer it over high heat, and reduce sauce over medium heat. When the sauce thickens and the fish is bright red, scoop it up. Place it into the simmering plate and then pour the sauce on it.

​Features

Purplish red, wonderfully fragrant, fresh, and tender.