Baozi Xishi's Struggle

Chapter 264 Sweet and Sour Crispy Fish

"After I buy the water tank, clean it and let it air dry for two days, I will go to Dongmen Street and buy two more buckets of fish to raise. Cooking with fish is indeed delicious and cheap."

After Li and Shen Yu discussed the fish farming plan, they went to the stove in the backyard kitchen to cook the red bean sweet soup.

Shen Yu asked Zhou Dalang to catch a fish and prepare to start making sweet and sour fish.

The method of making sweet and sour fish is very simple. The main thing is to fry the fish thoroughly and make the sweet and sour sauce taste sweet and sour. Basically, no one will say it is unpalatable.

Zhou Dalang then cut the fish and scaled it in one go, rinsed it, handed it to Shen Yu, and went to work in the shop.

Shen Yu put some salt on the fish, rubbed it, scraped off the mucus, rinsed it, and started cutting it.

In fact, the method of making sweet and sour fish is basically the same as that of squirrel fish. Both are fried and then poured with sweet and sour sauce.

The difference lies in the cutting method. Squirrel fish should be deboned and cut into chrysanthemum-shaped pieces, so that the cut fish meat will look like chrysanthemum petals or a squirrel tail when shaken out.

Sweet and sour fish is not the case.

When cooking sweet and sour fish, it is not necessary to remove the bones. The fish should be kept in its entire shape, with the shape resembling a fish leaping over the dragon gate.

Cut the fish into peony-shaped pieces, with seven cuts on the left and eight cuts on the right. Then make two smaller cuts on each side of the large cut, just like the petals of a peony, with tiny edges on the large piece.

After cutting the fish, soak it in clean water to remove the blood. This time is just the right time to prepare the batter for frying.

Mix flour and starch in a ratio of 2:1, add water to make gouache, and stir it thoroughly with bamboo chopsticks. When the gouache is lifted up with the chopsticks, it becomes like a thin line, thin but continuous. Then it is almost done.

This fish needs to be fried slowly in warm oil. Shen Yu lit the small stove, poured oil into the pot, and began to coat the fish with batter.

Rinse the fish that has been soaked in bloody water with new water, hold the fish tail with your hand, shake off the cut pieces, and sprinkle some dry flour on it.

Use a spoon to scoop up gouache and pour it on until every cut is covered with gouache.

Use a colander to bend the fish into the shape of a fish leaping over the dragon gate and put it into the oil pan. While frying, scoop up the oil in the pan with a spoon and pour it on the back of the fish. This will make the fish more crispy and flavorful.

After frying for about a cup of tea, the fish in the pan had turned golden brown and was ready to be taken out of the pan.

Use a colander to scoop up the fish and drain off the oil, then place it on the large fish plate prepared nearby. Arrange the fried fish into a shape with its head bent and its tail raised as it swims happily.

Use the back of a spoon to slowly pat the sides of the fish to make it lie more steadily. Another benefit of doing this is that it can loosen the fried fish meat and make the sweet and sour sauce more flavorful.

Pour out the oil in the pot and set aside. Leave some oil in the pot, add scallion and ginger slices, stir-fry until fragrant, then scoop out the scallion and ginger with a spoon.

Add sugar, balsamic vinegar, sweet soy sauce, a pinch of red yeast rice powder and a little salt into the pot.

Mix an appropriate amount of water into starch water and pour it into the pot. Cook until the sauce is thick and the sweet and sour taste comes out. Then scoop a large spoonful of hot oil used for frying fish and add it. Stir evenly. When the sauce turns into a glossy red color and bubbles, you can prepare the sauce.

As soon as I took the pot off the stove, Yutao ran over and said, "Sister, the shopkeeper and the guests who ordered the meal are here to eat. Mother asked me to come over and ask if the sweet and sour fish is ready."

Shen Yu nodded and said, "It's ready. Now that they are here, bring the fish plate over. I'll go to the table and pour the sweet and sour sauce over it. It will taste even better."

After saying that, she took out a large tray, put the fish plate on the tray, and put some chopped green onions in a small bowl on the tray, and asked Yutao to bring it to the guests.

Yutao agreed and took the large tray, then walked away quickly with the tray in her hand.

Shen Yu put the sweet and sour sauce back on the stove, reached for the fan and fanned the fire twice. In a blink of an eye, the sauce began to bubble up again and boil.

Shen Yu immediately picked up the pot and went to the store.

After entering the shop through the small door and looking around, I saw that the shopkeeper and the customers were sitting at a table in the corner. Yutao had just put the fried sweet and sour fish on the table and was standing aside with a tray, saying something to the customers.

Seeing Shen Yu coming, he quickly pointed at her.

At this time, there were a few late-dinner customers in the store, each occupying a long table and eating. One of the customers saw Shen Yu come in and looked into the pot she was holding.

Shen Yu passed behind the table next to the small kitchen. Seeing her carrying a small iron pot, everyone hurriedly made way to the side. Shen Yu said crisply, "Please make way, sir. The sauce for the sweet and sour fish is here."

After the guests moved to the side, with a "squeaky" sound, the sour and fragrant sweet and sour sauce was poured on the fish. It was rich in sauce flavor and shiny and sour.

Shen Yu handed the iron pot in his hand to Yutao.

He took the small bowl of chopped chives, sprinkled some green chives on the fish, put the fish plate in the middle and said with a smile: "This dish is sweet and sour fish, crispy, sour and sweet, please enjoy it."

The shopkeeper who was treating the guests looked at them with a smug look on his face.

The thin customer didn't look at anyone at this moment. His eyes were fixed on the vividly shaped sweet and sour fish, with his mouth wide open and motionless.

The shopkeeper said with a smile: "How about it, Shopkeeper Chen, I didn't lie to you, did I? This restaurant doesn't look big, but the dishes are really excellent?"

"Come on, come on, don't just stand there, hurry up and use your chopsticks. Not only is the fish good, you should also try the signature meat skewers of this restaurant, the local flavor, and see how it compares to your Shanghang flavor."

The guest came back to his senses and said with a smile, "Manager Han, you are too polite. I have been away from home for a long time and haven't seen the sweet and sour dishes from my hometown for a long time. I am sorry to have embarrassed you, Manager Chen. Manager Chen, please go first."

The two of them pushed the food to each other, and in the end it was the guest, Shopkeeper Chen, who took the first chopsticks. Then the other shopkeepers stopped being polite and started eating with great enjoyment.

Shen Yu and Yu Tao had already quietly retreated to the side and were about to take the pot back to the kitchen in the backyard, but a guest who was eating at the table next to them waved to Shen Yu and whispered, "Girl, girl."

Seeing the guest calling him, Shen Yu asked Yu Tao to wash the iron pot first, then walked quickly to the guest and asked with a smile, "What do you want to ask me?"

The guest looked at the table where the two shopkeepers were enjoying their meal, and said in a low voice with some embarrassment: "Girl, what flavor is the fish dish you poured the sauce on at the end? It looks very appetizing."

Shen Yu answered with a smile, and the customer asked, "How come I've come to the store several times and never seen this dish before? Did they bring live fish to cook it?"

Shen Yu smiled and said, "The fish is from the store. The shopkeeper invited guests to dinner and ordered it an hour in advance."

"If customers want to eat it on a certain day, they can order it in advance. This dish takes a long time to prepare. If it is quicker, it will take at least half an hour to prepare."