Connie’s notes
What fish is good for this dish? Any firm fleshy fish. Tilapia is especially good. Skin-on, preferably, because the skin turns crisp like crackling during frying and that adds another layer of texture to this alreay texture-rich dish.
For the sauteeing part, although garlic and ginger are indispensable, the scallions may be replaced by thinly sliced shallots.
If you prefer more vegetables in the dish, thinly sliced carrot and sweet peas may be added.
Ingredients
Fish
- 500 grams tilapia filllets (1.1 pounds) or fillets from other firm fleshy fish
- 1 teaspoon herb salt or substitute ¾ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper
- cooking oil for deep frying
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Spices and vegetables
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and chopped
- 1 half-inch knob ginger peeled and chopped
- 1 bell pepper cored, deseeded and diced
- 2 to 3 stalks scallions (white and light green portions only) thinly sliced
- ¾ cup fresh pineapple chunks
Sweet sour sauce
- ⅓ cup white sugar
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- 2 pinches salt
- 2 tablespoons plum sauce (available in Asian groceries)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- ½ teaspoon sesame seed oil
To garnish
- 2 to 3 stalks scallions (dark green portion only) thinly sliced
Instructions
- Wipe the fish dry with paper towels and cut into bite-size pieces.
- Place the fish in a bowl, add the herb salt (or salt and pepper) and toss thoroughly.
- Cover the bowl and marinate the fish in the fridge for a minimum of half an hour.
- In a wok or frying pan, start heating enough cooking oil to reach a depth of at least two inches.
- Toss the fish with the flour and starch, and shake each piece to let any excess fall off.
- Deep fry the fish fillets in batches until lightly golden and crisp on the outside.
- Place the fried fish in a strainer or spread on a rack.
- Heat two tablespoons cooking oil in a pan and saute the scallions, ginger, garlic and bell peppers.
- Scoop out and move to a plate.
- In the same pan with traces of a now flavorful oil, pour in the sugar and rice vinegar.
- Boil until the mixture reaches the consistency of a thin syrup.
- Stir in the plum sauce, tomato paste, oyster sauce and sesame seed oil.
- Cook, stirring, until thickened.
- Add the sauteed vegetables, pineapple chunks and fried fish fillets to the sweet sour sauce.
- Toss until everything is coated with sauce.
- Sprinkle in the scallions and serve.
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