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Fish in Hot and Sour Sauce
Serves 4 Prep 10 min Cook 2 min Total 12 min Type Meal Origin Chinese

Fish in Hot and Sour Sauce

A Sichuan-style fish: white fish poached in a hot-and-sour broth of dried chillies, Sichuan peppercorns, garlic.

Serves 4 Prep 10 minutes Cook 2 minutes Units Rate

Overview

The combination of hot and sour is a signature of western Chinese cuisine. This quick, simple dish is perfect for a light family meal or elegant entertaining. The interplay between chilli heat, vinegar acidity, and savoury umami creates a vibrant sauce that complements delicate fish beautifully without overwhelming it.

Serves: 4 Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 2 minutes

Ingredients

Fish & Cooking

  • 350 grams plaice fillets
  • 70 ml groundnut oil

Hot and Sour Sauce

  • 70 ml Chinese chicken stock
  • 1 tablespoon dry sherry (or rice wine)
  • 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons tomato purée
  • ½ teaspoon chilli bean sauce (or chilli powder)
  • ½ teaspoon white pepper
  • 1 tablespoon cider vinegar (or black rice vinegar)
  • 1 teaspoon sugar

Garnish

  • 1 tablespoon spring onions (finely chopped)

Method

Stage 1 - Prepare Fish

  1. Using a sharp knife, remove the dark skin from the plaice.
  2. Cut the fillets across the width at a slight diagonal into 2 cm wide strips.

Stage 2 - Shallow-Fry

  1. Heat a wok or large frying pan until quite hot.
  2. Add the oil and heat until almost smoking.
  3. Fry the fish strips in several batches for 2-3 minutes until golden brown.
  4. Set aside to drain on kitchen paper.

Stage 3 - Make Sauce

  1. Pour off all the oil and wipe the wok clean.
  2. Reheat the wok and add all the hot and sour sauce ingredients.
  3. Bring the sauce to the boil, then immediately reduce heat to low so it simmers gently.

Stage 4 - Combine & Serve

  1. Add the fried fish strips and simmer for 2 minutes.
  2. Serve immediately, garnished with spring onions.

Notes

  • Hot and sour balance: Neither should dominate, taste and adjust the chilli and vinegar to your preference for perfect balance.
  • Chilli bean sauce: Use authentic fermented sauce for deep, complex heat. Chilli powder is a reasonable substitute.
  • Fish varieties: Plaice works beautifully; cod, halibut, or any firm white fish works equally well.
  • Gentle handling: Fish flakes easily, be gentle when simmering to maintain presentation.

Serving

Serve with: Stir-fried spinach with garlic, or steamed rice

Storage

  • Best served immediately for optimal texture
  • Keeps 1 day refrigerated (texture will soften)
  • Not recommended for freezing (fish becomes mushy upon thawing)

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Kung Pao Shrimp

Kung Pao Shrimp

Kung pao (gongbao) shrimp is the seafood cousin of the classic Sichuan gongbao jiding, named for the 19th-century governor-general Ding Baozhen whose title was Gong Bao. Where the chicken version uses diced meat, the shrimp version keeps the prawns whole or halved so they curl into bright pink commas around the chillies and peanuts. The flavour profile is the signature Sichuan "lychee" balance: a touch of sweetness from sugar, sourness from black vinegar, salt and umami from soy, and the warm tingle (ma la) of toasted Sichuan peppercorn paired with the smoky bite of dried er jing tiao chillies. This is a fast dish, fundamentally a wok exercise: every ingredient must be prepped and lined up before the heat goes on, because once the chillies hit the oil you have maybe ninety seconds before everything is overcooked. Difficulty is moderate for a home cook with a working wok and high burner; the trick is keeping the chillies dark red and fragrant without scorching them black, and pulling the shrimp out the moment they curl. Served over plain rice it is one of the most rewarding ten-minute meals in the repertoire.

Chinese 28 minutes Serves3-4