Soft-Fried Fish
A traditional Northeastern Chinese dish featuring fish coated in fermented batter and fried until golden, with a crispy exterior and tender interior.
Ingredients
Fish fillet (sliced into thick pieces about 1 cm thick, then cut into 7 cm long, 1 cm square strips)
150 g
Chopped scallions
15 g
Minced ginger
15 g
Shaoxing wine
10 ml
Fine salt
2 g
MSG
3 g
Sesame oil
3 g
Old fermented dough starter (mixed with water)
50 g
Dry flour
100 g
Water (for batter)
to taste
Alkali (added after fermentation)
a pinch
Peanut oil (for batter)
to taste
Lard (for frying)
to taste
Instructions
1
Marinate the Fish Strips
Slice the fish fillet into thick pieces about 1 cm thick, then cut into 7 cm long, 1 cm square strips. Place in a bowl and add the chopped scallions, minced ginger, Shaoxing wine, fine salt, MSG, and sesame oil. Mix well and set aside to marinate.
2
Prepare the Fermented Batter
Place the old fermented dough starter in a bowl and dissolve it with water. Add the dry flour along with a suitable amount of water, stirring into a thick paste. Leave to ferment at 30°C (86°F). Once the batter has risen and become bubbly, add a pinch of alkali, then stir in the peanut oil until evenly combined.
3
Deep-Fry the Fish
Heat the lard in a wok over medium-low heat until it reaches about 150°C (5th stage of heat). Dip each marinated fish strip into the fermented batter to coat it evenly, then carefully lower it into the hot oil using a slotted spoon. Fry, turning the strips, until the batter puffs up and turns golden yellow. Remove, drain off excess oil, peel away the outer batter coating from the fish, and arrange the fish strips on a serving plate.
