Mandarin Duck Red Carp
A traditional Hubei dish in which a carp is butterflied into a shape with two joined tails, then drizzled with red and white sauces so it resembles a pair of mandarin ducks, symbolizing a loving pair.
Ingredients
whole carp (cleaned, cut along the back into 2 pieces, pulled into a double-tail shape, backbone removed)
1
cooked lean ham (cut into small dice)
15 g
bamboo shoot slices (cut into small dice)
25 g
rehydrated shiitake mushrooms (cut into small dice)
15 g
sesame oil
50 g
eggs (cracked into a bowl)
2
cilantro
25 g
sugar
50 g
original broth
100 g
flour
50 g
minced ginger
1 g
dry starch
50 g
tomato paste
75 g
refined salt
2 g
scallion segments
25 g
MSG
2 g
Shaoxing wine
50 g
lard (consumes 100 g)
1000 g
Instructions
1
Step 1
Clean the fish, then cut along the back into 2 pieces, pull them apart into a double-tail shape, and remove the backbone so that the fish becomes two pieces joined at the head with the bodies and tails splayed apart. Place on a plate, toss evenly with Shaoxing wine and refined salt, and marinate for 5 minutes.
2
Step 2
Cut the bamboo shoot slices, shiitake mushrooms, and lean ham into small dice separately.
3
Step 3
Crack the eggs into a bowl, add the dry starch and flour along with an appropriate amount of water, and whisk into a smooth batter. Use 2/3 of the batter to coat the fish skin, and brush the remaining 1/3 over the fish flesh.
4
Step 4
Set a wok over high heat, add the lard and heat until it reaches about 80% hot. Add the fish and deep-fry until golden on the outside and cooked through inside, then lift out and place on a plate belly-side up.
5
Step 5
Leave 25 g of oil in the original wok and heat to about 60% hot. Add the bamboo shoot dice, minced ginger, shiitake mushrooms, refined salt, ham dice, MSG, scallion segments, and original broth, and bring to a boil. Thicken with wet starch diluted in water into a white glaze and pour it over one fish belly. Return the wok to the heat with another 25 g of oil and heat to 60% hot, then add the tomato paste, sugar, and scallion segments. Once boiling, thicken with starch into a red glaze and pour it over the other fish belly. Drizzle sesame oil over both sides of the fish and arrange the cilantro between the two bellies to serve.
