Shanghai Stir-fried Eel

Using yellow or rice paddy field eel, the Shanghai stir-fried eel, with its finishing touch of oil-sizzled minced garlic placed in the centre of the dish, has a fame of its own, unrivalled by any other eel dish in the rest of the country. At the risk of being upbraided by purists, I am reproducing the dish using white eel, or what is available in London which, I think, is far superior to frozen yellow eel. Incidentally, the preparation of this dish is bound to be elaborate and is therefore