How to Make West Lake Sweet and Sour Fish

2009-1-16 9:50:00

Ingredients:

1 carp (about 750 grams or 1.65 lb), 75 grams (5 1/2 tbsp) cooking oil, 25 grams (1 3/4 tbsp) cooking wine, 5 grams (1/6 oz) ginger finely chopped, 50 grams (0.11 1b) sugar, 75 grams 94 tbsp) brown vinegar and 50 grams (2 2/3 tbsp) mixture of cornstarch and water.

West Lake sweet and sour

fish

Directions:

1. Gut fish, wash clean and cut into two halves from the spine.

2. Put 2,000 g (4 cups) of water in a wok, bring to a boil and place fish in with the skin side up. Boil for 8 minutes until it is just about done. Discard half of the soup, add soy sauce, cooking wine, ginger, sugar and simmer for 10 minutes to let the flavor set in. Take fish out and place the two halves on a plate with the skin side up.

3. Add vinegar to the soup in the wok and thicken it with mixture of cornstarch and water. Bring this to a boil and pour on fish. The dish is ready.

Key to success: The fish must be kept live in clean water for two days before being used for making the dish, to ensure the meat will be pure white.

Features: Reddish in color, salty and tender, the fish also carries sweet and sour flavors to just the right degree.

Source: China culture