Grass carp is a fish traditionally used in Chinese food, though the fish has become plentiful in American waters, having been introduced to help eat weeds. There are many ways you could cook it, as with most fish, but why not try a traditional Chinese recipe?
Instructions
1. Fillet and scale carp. Cut it into pieces as desired. You can cut it into large pieces, one per person, or you can cut it into bite-sized pieces, whichever you prefer.
2. Marinate carp in mixture of 2 tbsp. soy sauce, 1 tbsp. cooking wine, 1/2 tsp. sugar, one scallion (sliced crosswise) and one slice of ginger. Mix marinade in reclosable plastic bag, then add fish and close. Continue marinating for 10 minutes.
3. Coat fish with mixture of 2 tbsp. flour and 2 tbsp. cornstarch. Deep fry in cooking oil in wok until crispy. Remove fish from oil and allow oil to drain off. Remove oil from wok and discard, allowing 2 tbsp. of oil to remain for use in the next step. Optionally, you can stir fry uncoated fish in 2 to 4 tbsp. of oil instead.
4. Stir fry one chopped scallion, one slice of ginger, three cloves of minced garlic and one chopped chile pepper in remaining oil in wok.
5. Add 5 tbsp. vinegar, 4 tbsp. sugar, 2 tbsp. soy sauce, 1/4 tsp. salt, a dash of pepper and 1 tbsp. cornstarch to wok. Pour in 1/2 cup of water and stir. Cook until sauce thickens and becomes creamy. Add fish and heat till fish is hot.
6. Serve, either over rice or alone, as you prefer. Vegetables may be added as well; you can add them in Step 5 or cook them separately.
Tags: mixture tbsp, slice ginger, tbsp cornstarch, tbsp sauce
