Teochew Poached Fish
One fish, two flavors—choose savory or sweet. The fish is delicate, tender, and silky-smooth.
Ingredients
fresh grass carp (750g)
1
MSG
10g
fine salt
10g
white vinegar
75g
water chestnut starch
20g
sesame oil
15g
lard
100g
raw sugar
75g
Instructions
1
Step 1
First, scale and clean the fish, make shallow cuts along the back, place it in a basin, pour 7.5 kg (15 catties) of boiling water into the basin to submerge the fish, immediately cover with a lid, and after about twenty minutes the fish will be cooked through.
2
Step 2
While the fish is nearly cooked, prepare two small bowls of savory sauce and two small bowls of sweet-and-sour sauce. Heat a wok and stir-fry the savory sauce base, then add 150 g of stock, 5 g of MSG, and a pinch of salt; thicken with wet water chestnut starch, then add a little sesame oil to complete the savory sauce. In a separate wok, stir-fry the sweet-and-sour sauce base until cooked, add the sugar, vinegar, 5 g of MSG, and a little stock, thicken with wet water chestnut starch, then add a little sesame oil to complete the sweet-and-sour sauce.
3
Step 3
When the fish is done, lift it out and pour 100 g of hot lard over the fish. Serve with the two small bowls of savory sauce and two small bowls of sweet-and-sour sauce on the side.
