Braised Fish in Soy Sauce

Braised Fish in Soy Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 whole fish
• 4 slices ginger
• 1 stalk garlic sprout
• to taste Sichuan peppercorns
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp cooking wine
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• a little sugar
• a few bird's eye chili
• 2 tbsp doubanjiang (chili bean paste)
• a few sprigs cilantro
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce

Instructions

1. Clean the fish and make diagonal cuts on both sides.
2. Heat wok with cold oil and pan-fry the fish until golden.
3. To prevent sticking, don't move the fish. Wait until one side is properly fried before flipping to fry the other side golden. Remove and set aside.
4. Add oil to the wok and sauté garlic sprout, garlic cloves, ginger, Sichuan peppercorns, and bird's eye chili until fragrant. Add doubanjiang and stir-fry until red oil is released. Add cooking wine to remove fishiness.
5. Add water to the wok, return the fish, add sugar, light soy sauce, and dark soy sauce. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook for 8 minutes. Add 1 tbsp vinegar and reduce the sauce over high heat.
6. Plate the fish, top with cilantro, and pour the sauce over.