Today we are making sweet and sour belt fish (Tang Cu Dai Yu 糖醋带鱼). Tang Cu means sweet and sour. It is a popular flavor in chinese cuisine, which has many versions, such as pork, chicken, ribs. You can use other types of fish but belt fish is a classic.
Sweet and Sour Belt Fish
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Category
Seafood
Ingredients
- 500 g 1.1 lb of belt fish
- 4 cloves of garlic smashed
- 2 inches of ginger smashed
- 2 pieces of scallion smashed
- 1 tbsp of Sichuan peppercorns
- 1.5 tbsp of Shao xing wine
- 1/4 tsp of salt
- 1/2 tbsp of oyster sauce
- 1.5 cup of frying oil to deep fry the fish
- 1/4 cup of sugar
- 2.5 tbsp of soy sauce
- 2.5 tbsp of ketchup
- 2 tbsp of white vinegar
- 3 piece of preserved plum optional
- 1/2 cup of water
- 1 tbsp of oil for stir-frying
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 4 slices of ginger
- 3 pieces of dried red chilies
- Scallion and sesame seeds as garnish
Directions
You will need 500 g of belt fish. Use a clean stainless steel scrubber to remove the metallic silver skin. Rinse with water.
- Use a paper towel to pull the fin off. Cut the belt fish into 1.5 wide pieces. Dried the fish with paper towels.
- Marinade the fish with 4 cloves of smashed garlic, 2 inches of crushed ginger, 2 pieces of scallion, 1 tbsp of Sichuan peppercorns, 1.5 tbsp of Shao xing wine, 1/2 tbsp of oyster sauce, and 1/4 tsp of salt. Mix it well. Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit for 1 hour.
- Make the sweet and sour sauce. In a sauce bowl, combine the following ingredients: 1/4 cup of sugar, 2.5 tbsp of soy sauce 2.5 tbsp, 2.5 tbsp of ketchup, 2 tbsp of white vinegar, 3 pieces of preserved plums, and 1/2 cup of water. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Set it aside.
- Bring 1.5 cups of oil to 360 F. Deep fry the fish over medium heat. Each side needs 3-5 minutes. Once the fish is golden brown, take them out and set it aside.
- Add a tbsp of oil to the wok along with 4 cloves of garlic, 4 slice of ginger, and 3 pieces of dry red chilies. Stir them over medium heat until fragrant.
- Add the sweet and sauce and the fried fish. Adjust them so all the pieces are touching the sauce. Bring this to a boil. Turn the heat to low. Cover it. Let simmer for 5 minutes. 5 minutes later, Flip all the pieces over to let the other side to touch the sauce as well. Cover it, let it simmer for another 5 minutes. And you are done. Enjoy!