Red Braised Fish {Hong Shao Yu 红烧鱼 Huai Yang Style}

Step 1

Gather all ingredients.

Step 2

Cut ginger into thin slices and green onion into small pieces.

Step 3

Wash and rinse the fish and pat-dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle about 1/2 tsp of arrowroot flour onto each white perch, about 1/4 tsp on each side. Gently rub into the fish.

Step 4

Turn the heat to medium and heat a hard anodized fry-pan for 2 minutes.

Step 5

Spray 3 squirts of canola oil using a home oil sprayer, about 1 tsp. Add ginger slices and half of the green onion pieces, slide ginger slices using a slotted turner across the base of the pan for about 30 seconds.

Step 6

Add Perch into the pan, use the slotted turner to gently press down the fish for 1 minute.

Step 7

Flip the fish and do the same thing to sear the other side of the fish for 1 minute.

Step 8

Add the remaining items in the ingredient list - sake, regular soy sauce, light soy sauce, Zheniang vinegar (if you choose to use it) freshly ground black pepper and white pepper, sugar, and water into the pan.

Step 9

Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 10 minutes. Flip the fish at 5 minutes mark.

Step 10

Toward the end of 10 minutes, the liquid in the pan is almost disappearing. Carefully flip the fish again to caramelize the other side and then turn off the heat

Step 11

Garnish the fish with the remaining the green onion.

Step 12

All done, serve with freshly steamed rice plus a blanched green leafy vegetable to complete the meal.