Mandarin Carp with Dual Sauces

Name: Mandarin Carp with Dual Sauces
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 1 (about 1250 g) Live carp (scaled and gilled, gutted through a belly cut, tail splayed, backbone cut and removed, forming two pieces connected at the head with body and tail separated); 15 g Soaked bamboo shoot slices (cut into 0.3 cm cubes); 15 g Cooked lean ham (cut into 0.3 cm cubes); 25 g Soaked dried shiitake mushrooms (cut into 0.3 cm cubes); 25 g Cilantro (washed, arranged between the two fish bellies); 10 Green peas; 50 g Tomato ketchup; 1000 g (actually uses 100 g) Cooked lard (for frying fish); 5 g Refined salt; 1 g MSG; 25 g Cooking wine (for marinating fish); 1 g Scallion segments; 1 g Minced ginger; 25 g White sugar; 25 g Flour; 75 g Wet starch (for thickening); 25 g Dry starch; 100 g Clear meat broth; 2.5 g Sesame oil (drizzled on the fish); 1 Egg (beaten for batter)

A classic traditional Hunan dish. Whole carp is prepared with its head and tail kept connected, while the body is split into two sections for separate cooking: one side is vibrant red with a sweet-and-sour flavor, the other is white with a savory-spicy profile. The finished dish resembles a pair of mandarin ducks, giving it its name Mandarin Duck Carp (鸳鸳鲤).

1h 0m

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Ingredients

Live carp (scaled and gilled, gutted through a belly cut, tail splayed, backbone cut and removed, forming two pieces connected at the head with body and tail separated) 1 (about 1250 g)

Soaked bamboo shoot slices (cut into 0.3 cm cubes) 15 g

Cooked lean ham (cut into 0.3 cm cubes) 15 g

Soaked dried shiitake mushrooms (cut into 0.3 cm cubes) 25 g

Cilantro (washed, arranged between the two fish bellies) 25 g

Green peas 10

Tomato ketchup 50 g

Cooked lard (for frying fish) 1000 g (actually uses 100 g)

Refined salt 5 g

MSG 1 g

Cooking wine (for marinating fish) 25 g

Scallion segments 1 g

Minced ginger 1 g

White sugar 25 g

Flour 25 g

Wet starch (for thickening) 75 g

Dry starch 25 g

Clear meat broth 100 g

Sesame oil (drizzled on the fish) 2.5 g

Egg (beaten for batter) 1

Instructions

Preparing the fish

Scale and gill the live carp, make an incision in the belly to remove the innards, splay the tail, cut through the backbone, and remove the entire backbone so the fish becomes two pieces connected at the head with the body and tail separated. Wash thoroughly, place on a plate, rub the fish all over with cooking wine and refined salt, marinate for about 10 minutes, then pat dry and set aside. Cut the bamboo shoots, shiitake mushrooms, and lean ham separately into 0.3 cm cubes.

Coating with batter

Crack the egg into a bowl and beat well, then add the dry starch, flour, and a little water and mix into a smooth batter. Spread half of the batter over the fish skin and the remaining half over the flesh side.

Deep-frying the fish

Place a wok over high heat, add the lard and heat until 80% hot. Carefully lower the fish in and cook until the surface is pale golden and the flesh is cooked through. Transfer both pieces to a serving plate, arranging them belly-up so the heads are joined and the bodies and tails are spread apart, resembling two fish side by side.

Pouring the dual sauces

Reserve a little oil in the wok and heat to 60% hot. Add the bamboo shoot cubes, minced ginger, shiitake mushroom cubes, and refined salt and stir-fry a few times, then add the green peas, ham, MSG, and scallion segments and bring to a boil. Thicken with wet starch to make a white sauce and pour it over one piece of fish belly. Wipe the wok, add more lard and heat to 60% hot, then add the ketchup, white sugar, and scallion segments and bring to a boil. Thicken with wet starch to make a red sauce and pour it over the other piece of fish belly. Drizzle sesame oil over both pieces, wash the cilantro and arrange it between the two fish bellies, and the preparation is finished.