The Spring Festival just passed and we enjoyed lots of yummy dishes. We make fish almost every year on the eve of the Spring Festival to symbolize the rich harvest in the past year. We also make around balls to symbolize the reunion of the family. This is a very home style red braised fish from Sichuan cuisine which can be applied on almost all types of fish.  

The lovely bright color is bought by the fermented board bean paste, doubanjiang which is considered as the soul of Sichuan cuisine and it also brings a soft spicy flavor because of the fermentation process. My daughter doesn’t eat hot food but she can accept the flavor of doubanjiang. Then ginger, scallion and garlic is used to remove the odd fishy flavor and enhance the aromatics.

Steps

Wash the fish carefully, remove any dark tissues inside the stomach. Drain completely and slightly sprinkle some salt on the surface.

Get a non-stick pan (this is the best choice for beginners). Add some oil and then fry the fish until golden brown on both sides.

For regular pan, heat the wok or pan until really hot and then pat a very thin layer of starch on the surface of the fish. And fry the fish until golden brown on both sides. Starch can avoid sticking in the pan-frying process.

Remove the fish out. Add doubanjiang in, slow down the fire and cook until the oil returns red. This step is very important for a well doubanjiang flavor.

Add garlic, ginger and scallion in and fry until aromatic. Pour in 300ml hot water. Season with light soy sauce and salt. Let the soup base simmer for 3-5 minutes. Gently slide the fish in and continue cooking until the sauce thickened. During the process, use a small scoop to pour the sauce over the upside. Once the sauce is well thickened, transfer out and serve hot.

If you need to re-heat the fish, add another 100ml water and re-heat until the sauce thickened.