Copper pot fish soup: A gift of Fuxian Lake
For centuries, shiny handmade copper pot has been the most common and perhaps the only right kitchenware for the residents who live by the Fuxian Lake in Yunnan province to cook their ultimate delicacy — copper pot fish soup. Lake water, fresh fish and copper pot are considered the “holy trinity” which all together makes this simple soup luscious and extraordinary.
Copper pot fish soup in Yuxi
Stretching out through two counties and a district in central Yunnan’s Yuxi, Fuxian Lake ranks the third-largest in Yunnan. It is also the third-deepest fresh water lake across China, after Tianchi Lake in Jilin province and Kanas Lake in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.
The crystal-clear water of Fuxian Lake has always been seen as essential to the preparation of authentic copper pot fish soup. Local people believe the water from this specific lake brings the soup with a unique sweetness that no other ingredients or condiments can offer.
To cook a fresh and hot pot of fish soup, the chef needs to be quick. As long as the fish is cleaned and gutted, it should be placed into a copper pot for boiling right away. Other ingredients are as simple as Chinese onion, ginger and salt. After a few minutes of simmering, this off-the-scale delicious fish soup is ready to be served.
Copper pot fish soup in Yuxi
As the lid is removed, steam smoke ascends and a tantalizing smell begins to spread in the air. With some chopped green Chinese onions on top, the entire soup looks like a well-designed artwork, literally. Bringing a piece of fish into the mouth with chopsticks, one can immediately taste its sweetness and tenderness. This is why copper pot fish soup has long been hailed as an iconic food of Yuxi, and the ultimate indulgence to every local resident.
It’s worth mentioning that in Yunnan, copper pot fish soup is usually accompanied with a good bowl of dipping sauce. Characterized primarily by its spiciness and numbness, this dipping sauce consists of red chili powder, Sichuan pepper as well as ginger, garlic and Chinese onion.
While enjoying copper pot fish soup, there is one more local delicacy that shouldn’t be missed, which is homemade rice with fried potato.
Copper pot rice with fried potato
As a popular dish that almost every household near the Fuxian Lake knows how to make, it is cooked in a copper pot — the same as the fish soup. Rice, local ham from Yunnan and fresh potato are the three major ingredients.
Before adding in rice and water, one needs to stir-fry the ham and potatoes until golden brown. Very similar to the process of making paella, preparing rice with fried potato also entails a great deal of experience and patience. When you eventually start enjoying the crispy potatoes and rice with aroma, your taste buds — believe it or not — will genuinely be rocked.
Writing by Wang Yanhua; trans-editing by Wang Jingzhong (Yunnan Daily); photographs from the Internet