Directions

1. You will need 500 g of belt fish. Use a clean stainless steel scrubber to remove the metallic silver skin. Rinse with water.

2. Use a paper towel to pull the fin off. Cut the belt fish into 1.5 wide pieces. Dried the fish with paper towels.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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!