Five-willows fish or sweet & pungent fish
Ingredients
1 medium whole tilapia, cleaned and with the head left on
1 firm cucumber
1 carrot
3 chopped spring onions
3 crushed garlic
1 piece ginger
2 onions finely sliced
2 tablespoon sugar
120 ml vinegar
1 tablespoon peanut butter
2 tablespoon liquid cornstarch
4 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoon white wine
Salt & pepper
Vegetable oil
Method
1. Slice the cucumber in half and discard the pulp and along with the scraped carrot slice into 5cm 2-inc long matchsticks. Slice the ginger and sweet pickle into matchstick like sticks.
2. Have ready a smallish plastic or pyrex bowl and add the sliced onion and the other vegetables (minus the garlic) and sprinkle over them 1 teaspoon of salt. Let them steep for about ten minutes. Add the sugar, vinegar, two tablespoons soy sauce and some water and let the ingredients marinade for a half-hour.
3. In the meantime have ready a saucepan in which the fish can comfortably fit and add enough water that can cover the whole fish and add the two level tablespoons of salt or enough to taste. Do not add fish at this juncture! Bring the water to a rapid boil for a couple of minutes, and then very gently add the fish and continue boiling for a minute or so. Cover the fish and turn off the fire entirely, in so doing the fish shall actually cook in the heat of the water in about a half hour.
4. Drain the vegetables and place them in a dry dish and set aside.
5. To make your sauce you will need the vinegar mixture in which the vegetables marinated and taste for seasoning, two liquid teaspoons cornstarch and the wine. Heat a little oil in a frying pan and fry the garlic for a minute or so and then add your sauce until it thickens. You may have to add a bit more cornstarch.
6. Time your fish, it will be ready by now, however do not let it stay more than the 30minutes. Remove the fish and transfer to a warmed serving platter. Correct the seasoning of your sauce and then cover it with layers of the marinated vegetables and pour the sauce over the fish. Garnish with the chopped spring onions.
