Mala Sichuan Boiled Fish

Mala Sichuan Boiled Fish

Ingredients

• 1 Snakehead fish
• 50 Dried chili peppers
• 50 Dried Sichuan peppercorns
• 1 Celtuce
• 1 Tofu skin (yuba)
• as needed Pixian doubanjiang, scallions, ginger, garlic

Instructions

1. Fillet the snakehead fish. Marinate the fish fillets and fish bones separately with salt, cornstarch, scallion-ginger water, and white pepper for 30 minutes.
2. Cut the dried chili peppers into segments and stir-fry together with the Sichuan peppercorns in oil until fragrant. Remove from wok and set aside.
3. Let the fried chili peppers and peppercorns from step 2 cool on a cutting board, then press and crush into a coarse powder. Alternatively, pulse in a blender or spice grinder.
4. Stir-fry or blanch the side vegetables until cooked, then spread them at the bottom of the serving vessel.
5. Heat oil in a wok. Add ginger, garlic, about two-thirds of the chili-peppercorn powder from step 3, and Pixian doubanjiang. Stir-fry until fragrant, then add salt, soy sauce, and water. Bring to a boil. Add the fish head and bones; cook for 2 minutes after the water returns to a boil. Remove the head and bones and place on top of the vegetables from step 4. Add the fish fillets to the boiling broth; once it returns to a boil, cook for about 1 minute, then pour everything into the serving vessel.
6. Top the fish with minced garlic, chopped scallions, and the remaining chili-peppercorn powder from step 3. Heat a generous amount of oil until smoking hot, then pour it over the fish to sizzle and release the aromas of the scallions and garlic. Serve immediately.