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Sichuan Fish with Pickled Mustard Greens
Sichuan Fish with Pickled Mustard Greens
This recipe is completely new territory for me. I’ve eaten a lot of Chinese food, but have never really ventured into anything pickled. This is a dish that you won’t find at most Chinese restaurants in the U.S. You may instead find Sichuan boiled fish in a hot chili oil broth. This recipe has a hot and sour broth with poached fish slices and pickled mustard greens. Dare I say that this dish is definitely for the more adventurous eater. It has it’s own “funk”, and I mean that in the best way possible. If you aren’t a fan of sour, this might not be for you. Think of this recipe as poached sauerkraut fish.When choosing fish, you want to use a firm fleshed white fish such as tilapia, catfish, or cod. I happened to have a couple of walleye fillets. Cut the fish fillets into 1/4”-1/2” thick slices. You don’t the pieces to be too big. The objective here is to quickly have the fish poached in the broth.You can serve this as a soup like in the picture. But if you want to serve this the authentic Chinese way, you would scoop out all of the greens with a slotted spoon onto a serving dish after it has simmered for 15 minutes. Then the fish would be quickly poached in the broth. The fish is then layer across the greens with a little bit of the broth on the bottom. Lastly, the Sichuan oil is drizzled over the fish. To eat this, serve with a small bowl of rice. The purpose of the Sichuan oil drizzled over the top is to add an extra umami flavor to the fish. This step is very necessary and should not be skipped.
Ingredients
Fish Marinade
- 1 lb white fish fillet sliced into 1/2” thick pieces
- 1 egg white
- 1 tbsp potato starch
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
Sichuan Fish with Pickled Mustard Greens
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 5 dried chili peppers
- 6 garlic cloves sliced
- 1 leek sliced
- 2 ginger slices
- 3 green onions chopped
- 2 tbsp spicy bean paste
- 3/4 lb pickled mustard greens sliced
- 1 tbsp shaoxing cooking wine
- 4 cups chicken stock plus more
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
Sichuan Oil
- 2 tbsp vegetable or peanut oil
- 1 tsp sichuan peppercorns
- 1 tbsp spicy bean paste
Instructions
- Mix together the fish marinade ingredients.
- Add in the slices of fish, making sure they are evenly coated in the marinade. Marinate for 20 minutes.
- Heat up cooking oil inalag pot over medium high heat. Add in the dried chilies, leeks, garlic, ginger, and green onions. Cook down for 5 minutes.
- Add in the pickled mustard greens. Cook for 5 more minutes.
- Stir in the bean paste, making sure that everything is evenly coated in it. Deglaze with the cooking wine.
- Pour in the chicken stock, sugar, salt, and white pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.
- Add in the fish. Simmer another minute or two, until the fish is cooked through.
- In a separate small sauté pan, heat up cooking oil over medium heat. Add in the peppercorns and bean paste.
- Cook until the peppercorns start to darken.
- Drizzle some of the oil over the fish.
Tamarind Shrimp
Tamarind Shrimp
Want a quick and easy meal in 10 minutes? This tamarind shrimp is the meal you’ve been waiting for. 5 minutes prep time. 5 minutes cooking time. That’s it. The rice I serve it with takes 4 minutes in the Instant Pot. This recipe makes 2 generous servings for under $8 while tasting like it costs a lot more; which it would cost you twice that amount for a single serving at a Vietnamese restaurant. So, cook at home.When choosing the shrimp, I recommend using shrimp that are at least 26/30 count or larger. Anything smaller will cook to fast, making the shrimp chewy. Smaller sized shrimp are better to use in fried rices, egg roll filling, and other dishes where the protein isn’t the main focus. Here it is. If you aren’t a fan of shrimp, chicken or fried tofu are great substitutes.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 large shallot sliced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 lb peeled and deveined shrimp 26/30 ct.
- chopped cilantro garnish
Tamarind Sauce
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp tamarind juice concentrate
- 2 tsp siracha
Instructions
- Mix the sauce ingredients together. Set aside.
- Heat up cooking oil in a large sauté pan or wok over high heat. Sauté the shallots and garlic for 1 minute.
- Add in the shrimp in a single layer. Cook the shrimp for 2 minutes on one side until they are about 50% cooked.
- Flip them over. Stir in the tamarind sauce, making sure that all of the shrimp are coated. Cook for 2 more minutes.
- Turn off the heat. Garnish with chopped cilantro.
Peking Chicken Fried Rice
Peking Chicken Fried Rice
Did you make that Peking Roast Chicken and only eat half of it? This is great way to turn leftover chicken and white rice into some of the best fried rice you’ll ever eat. This is the reason why I always make extra white rice. It is always better the next day turning it into fried rice. Using freshly steamed rice doesn’t work because it is too moist. By using it the next day, it has dried out a little bit, allowing it to absorb the sauce better.You can really use any type a vegetables or protein that you want when making this. Carrots, peas, bean sprouts, kale, and mushrooms are all great substitutes. My favorite way to finish this rice is to top it off with a fried egg per serving.
Ingredients
Sauce
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/8 tsp chili powder
Fried Rice
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 medium white onion diced
- 1/2 red bell pepper diced
- 1/2 green bell pepper diced
- 3 green onions chopped
- 1 tbsp shaoxing cooking wine
- 1 cup leftover peking chicken diced
- 4 cups leftover white rice
- fried eggs 1 per person
Instructions
- Mix the sauce ingredients together. Set aside.
- Het up cooking oil in a large sauté pan or wok over medium high heat. Add in the garlic, onion, bell peppers, and green onion. Sauté for 2 minutes.
- Add in the chicken. Cook for another 2 minutes. Add in the cooking wine. Cook for another minute.
- Add in the rice, making sure to break up all the clumps and to thoroughly mix in with the rest of the ingredients.
- Add in the sauce mix. Cook for 2 more minutes.
