In China this dish is almost always prepared with freshwater fish, but sea bass is also an excellent choice.
ingredients
1 sea bass, grey mullet or carp, weighing about 900 g (2 lbs), cleaned
15 ml (1 tbsp) dry sherry
Few slices fresh ginger
120 g (4 oz) sugar
90 ml (6 tbsps) cider vinegar
15 ml (1 tbsp) soy sauce
30 g (2 tbsps) cornflour
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 spring onions, shredded
1 small carrot, peeled and finely shredded
30 g (1 oz) bamboo shoots, shredded
method
1. Rinse the fish well inside and out. Make three diagonal cuts on each side of the fish with a sharp knife.
2. Trim off the fins, leaving the dorsal fin on top.
3. Trim the tail to two neat points.
4. Bring enough water to cover the fish to the boil in a wok. Gently lower the fish into the boiling water and add the sherry and ginger. Cover the wok tightly and remove at once from the heat. Allow to stand 15 - 20 minutes to let the fish cook in the residual heat.
5. To test if the fish is cooked. pull the dorsal fin - if it comes off easily the fish is done. If not, return the wok to the heat and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and leave the fish to stand a further 5 minutes. Transfer the fish to a heated serving dish and keep it warm. Take all but 60 ml (4 tbsps) of the fish cooking liquid from the wok. Add the remaining ingredients including the vegetables and cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens. Spoon some of the sauce over the fish to serve and serve the rest separately.
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