Stinky Mandarin Fish Dry Pot
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Published October 27, 2026
11 ingredients
by WokBite Kitchen
15min Prep
45min Cook
60min Total
4Servings
MediumDifficulty
Stinky mandarin fish — chou gui yu — is Anhui’s most famous preserve: freshwater mandarin fish salted and fermented until the flesh turns firm, silky and deeply savoury. Here it is cut into chunks, seared until the skin is golden, then finished in a dry pot with pork belly, tofu and sweet peppers.
The pot is the point. Everything braises down to a glossy, concentrated sauce, and the tofu sits at the bottom drinking it all in. Light the burner at the table and let it bubble while you eat — the fish stays warm and the tofu gets better with every minute.
Ingredients
Tap an item to tick it off- 1 whole stinky mandarin fish (about 600 g), thawed
- ½ onion, sliced
- 1 green bell pepper, sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced
- Scallions, ginger and garlic, as needed
- Shaoxing wine, as needed
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) soy sauce
- Sugar, to taste
- 1 block firm tofu (about 300 g), cut into cubes
- 2 sprigs cilantro
- 50 g pork belly, thinly sliced
Method
1
Cut the thawed, cleaned fish into small chunks. Sear in hot oil until golden brown, add the seasonings and braise until the flavours penetrate.
2
Stir-fry the onion and green and red peppers briefly in hot oil, splash in a little light soy sauce, and spread the mixture over the bottom of the pot as the base.
3
Stir-fry the pork belly in hot oil until it changes colour, pour in light soy sauce and dark soy sauce, and toss. Add the fish, a little sugar and Shaoxing wine, pour in water and braise until the sauce is nearly reduced. Lift out the fish, add the tofu cubes to the sauce and braise until they absorb the flavour.
4
Scatter over garlic sprouts and cilantro, transfer to a clay pot, light the alcohol burner underneath and simmer gently at the table — the tofu is best once it has soaked up the sauce.
Why this worksSear the fish hard before braising: a golden crust keeps the chunks intact and tames the fermented aroma. The common mistake is adding the tofu too early — braise it in the sauce only after the fish comes out, or it breaks apart and turns the sauce cloudy.
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