Sweet and sour fish fillets

Fish that was sweet and sour was originally a cheap street food that was sold at hawker stalls in Malaysia. Chinese cuisine has a huge influence on Malaysian cuisine. Fish cooked in a sweet-and-sour sauce is a common meal in Malay households. Consequently, some Chinese restaurants even add a few variations by using better quality fish and cooking it with suitable garnishing in a restaurant style. Typically, grouper is used to prepare this dish. For making this great dish, you can alternatively use a whole Tilapia or other firm-fleshed fish.

However, deep-frying an entire fish requires skill, especially for a newbie. Sometimes, as soon as the fish was placed in the pan or wok, it became stuck to the pan.  The fish's skin would break if it were moved once more. The size of the fish is first to consider whether it fits the wok. If the fish is too large, you may have to cut it in half and cook the head and tail separately.

So instead of frying the entire piece of fish, I decided to cut it into fillets that were just the right size for a sweet and sour fish dish. Normally, tomato sauce, chilli sauce, lemon juice, and some vinegar are combined to make the sauce for this sweet and sour dish. But I am using the sweet-and-sour sauce I usually make for my pork ribs. When making the gravy,  do not try to pour in more water for extra gravy, that will end up the fillets turn out mushy.

Another crucial step is the fish fillets must be fried twice. Additional water can be evaporates from the fillets by allowing it to cool and rest in between dipping it in the oil. You will observed that the remaining water evaporates as you put it back in the second time, allowing the fillets to crisp and brown before they overcook. 

Let us get all the ingredients to hand to make this tasty cuisine.

 

INGREDIENTS

800g boneless grouper fillets

2 tsp salt

1 tsp white pepper 

1 beaten egg

Some cornstarch for coating

Some cooking for frying the fish

 

INGREDIENTS (sweet and sour sauce)            

2 tbsp tomato sauce

2 tbsp chilli sauce

2 tbsp Thai chilli sauce

1 tbsp HP sauce

½ cup of Bombay onion cubed

2 inches length cucumber

2 red Chili

2 fresh baby corns

3 tbsp of water.

Salt and sugar to taste

 

 

METHOD

1. Lay the fish out on a cutting board, then use a kitchen knife to cut of the skin (optional) then  cut them into fillets that are 5 cm wide (diagonal). The fish will burn easily if the fillet is sliced too thin.

2. Combine the ingredients for the fish in a bowl, and then leave it to marinade for at least 30 minutes.

3. Coat each piece of fish individually with cornstarch. Heat the oil up, carefully add the coated fillets to the heated oil. To prevent the wok from being overcrowded, keep the fish fillets equally spaced out. Fry them in hot oil until golden brown. Remove the deep-fried fish fillets. Wait until the oil reaches the proper temperature. Continue with the following batch. Once all the meat slices has been fried, wait until the oil reaches the right temperature once more before placing the fish fillets back in for an additional one to two minutes of double frying. this will aid in producing an extremely crispy and golden outside.  Drain then set aside.

4. Over low to medium heat, sauté cubed onions in a pan or wok with a little cooking oil for 2 minutes. Add the baby corn and pre-cut red chilies and cucumber cubes. Mix and stir thoroughly for 1-2 minutes. Avoid overcooking the vegetables.

5. Add the tomato sauce, THAI chilli sauce, HP sauce, water, and sugar.  The sauce and vegetables should be nicely combined. Add the fish fillets to the sauce and swirl well over high heat quickly and carefully to ensure that the fish is evenly coated for about 2 minutes. Do not overmix.

These appetizing sweet and sour fish fillets with fiery red sauce are best eaten with steamed rice. ENJOY!!