Dragon Phoenix Leg
My mother asked me yesterday “What are you going to cook for your blog this time?” I answered her “Dragon Phoenix Leg”. She immediately told me with a surprised voice “Ohh….That’s a great snack that I ate from childhood.
Dragon phoenix leg is a very important and unforgettable night market food for a lot of Taiwanese people. It originates from those small fishing village around north coast of Taiwan. A long time ago, Taiwan was a very poor country but while one chicken only has two legs most families had more than two children, it’s never enough for children to eat. So, parents used a little bit of fish and pork with some vegetable to make this dragon phoenix leg snack for children. This dish looks a bit like a drumstick and so we entitled it Dragon Phoenix Leg.
The other story about dragon phoenix leg is back in the old times when Taiwanese parents tried to make their children eat carrot and cabbage they would entice them with chicken by making this dish.
No matter what’s the real story for this dragon phoenix leg. We can find out this dish is full of the love from parents who make or created this dish.
I changed the recipe a little so there’s no cabbage as Chris absolutely loathes cabbage so I used spring green in the filling. Spring green is also a kind of cabbage but tastes lest cabbage than normal cabbage of course.
These photos were taken by Chris at Chris Radley Photography
Dragon Phoenix Leg
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 220 g cod fillet or any kind of white meat fish
- 25 g potato starch or corn flour
- 70 g ice water
- 1 tsp ginger chop finely
- 60 g spring onion chop finely
- 150 g pork belly mince it
- 150 g pork loin mince it
- 1/2 tsp garlic chop finely
- 100 g carrots grate
- 60 g spring greens shred finely
- 1/2 onion chop finely
- Some flour
- Some pig's caul
Seasonings
- 1.5 tbsp caster sugar
- 1/4 tsp white pepper powder
- 2 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/4 tsp Chinese five spice powder
Seasonings for Vegetables
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
Instructions
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Cut the cod fillet into small dices and use a food processor to process the fish until you can’t see any lumps in the fish.
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Add ice water, caster sugar and potato starch to a small bowl and mix them evenly with no lump. Mix it with fish from step 1.
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Wash your hands first and start to throw the fish mixture into a bowl around 20-30 times until the fish mixture gains some viscidity.
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Marinade vegetable with seasonings for vegetable for 30 minutes. After, use your hand to squeeze the water out of vegetable.
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Mix all the ingredients and seasonings together evenly.
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Use pig’s caul to wrap the mixture and place on a stick. Make the shape look like a drum stick.
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Coat the dragon phoenix leg with flour. Heat up 3 cups of oil with full gas power to deep fry it. Once you put 2 or 3 dragon phoenix legs into the oil turn off the gas immediately. Turn the gas back on to lowest temperature after 1 minute. (This ensures the inside of this dish is cooked but the outside remains a pretty colour.) Keep deep frying it at the lowest gas power for 3~5 minutes until it is cooked from inside to out.
This sounds really tasty! I wonder if there is something I could use other than the pigs caul to hold it together, I have no idea where to buy pigs caul!
Hi Lynn,
Many thanks for your comment. I think you can ask local butcher or Chinese supermarket if they sell pig’s caul. I bought mine from my butcher but sometime you need to order a day before with them.
Oh how INTERESTING. I love local treats and this is so unique. I’m not exactly sure what pig caul is though or where one would get it.
Hi Baking Barrister,
Thank you for your comment. 🙂
I’m not sure where are you live so I can’t really give you advise about where you can buy pig’s caul. I think you can try Chinese supermarket or local butcher. They might sell it.
This looks really good. I would love to make these, so I saved it in my recipe box.. I use pig’s caul when I make some Filipino meatloaf. It’s nice to know that you used them on these lovely dish of yours.
Hello Madin,
Many thanks for your kind comment.
Wow Filipino meatloaf just sounds tasty. I never have meatloaf in my life or maybe I had but I don’t know that’s meatloaf lol.I would love to try to make it one day if you share the recipe on your blog. 🙂
Hi Liv,
I like the stories behind this dish. It amazes me how creative people back in the old days can be. Proverty didn’t deter them from enjoying good meals.
Anyway, your recipe is lovely and delicious as always. 😀
Hello Emily,
Thank you for your comment. I agree with you. I think people are more creative in an environment with limited resources. 😉
This sounds like the perfect treat for an asian! I love all asian street food! But I especially want to try Taiwan and Hong Kong’s, Shanghai for their dumplings. Anyway, I’m going to have to try another one of your recipes.
Hi Lisa,
Thank you for your comment. I’m glad that you like my recipe. I love Hong Kong and Shanghai’s food and I also love Korean food. 😉
I hope you will have a go with my recipe soon and hope you and your family will enjoy it. 😀
Oh Wow Liv! I would love to go to Taiwanese night market some day. We had it here locally at University of Washington and it wasn’t good…. Yours look so good and I love fish. However, I’m intimidated by pig’s caul…I guess I will just buy them hehe
Hi Tanantha,
Oh my….. You have Taiwanese night market at University of Washington?! I’m so jealous. We only have one Taiwanese restaurant in Edinburgh and it’s not very tasty. I’ve give up any Taiwanese restaurant in UK for a long time ago. You must book some holiday to Taiwan one day and try those night market food. I think you will have a great time there. I will make a really long food and restaurant list for you 🙂
About the pig’s caul…. You can try to use “Tofu sheet” instead of pig’s caul. I know some people use tofu sheet for this dish as well but I always use pig’s caul so I afraid I can’t give you too much advise about how to work with tofu sheet. Good luck with that !
Sounds like an interesting dish. Food on a sticks are always popular with kids.
Wow these look wonderful. I love finding those dishes that brings someone back to their childhood. Can’t wait to try these.
I love that you post dishes that are new to me. This is beautiful–again.
Hi Liv,
I’ve got something for you. Check this out http://www.fussfreecooking.com/emily-monologues/award/
Hi Liv, I love the little stories behind this dish. Thank you also for the frying tip! 🙂 Have a great weekend!
wow…Liv, you always amaze me with these great recipes….It’s great to learn about real food from your country, not just what we see in restaurants….thanks for sharing this great treat with us!
Hello Dennis,
Many thanks for your comment. I’m really appreciate. One of the reason that I start blogging is because I wish people can know what’s real Chinese, Taiwanese food. It’s not all about sweet and sour ,prawn toast or Shaoxing rice wine.
I can’t wait to mess around with this recipe.
Hi Sara,
Thank you for your comment. I hope you will enjoy my recipe and visit my blog soon. 😛
Nice post. I hope I could eat dragon phoenix leg someday.
Thank you very much!
These are so fantastic…I have to save this and try.