Ingredients
1 fresh grass carp (about 750 g / 1.5 lbs)
Seasonings
100 g lard, 20 g water chestnut flour, 15 g sesame oil, 10 g each MSG and fine salt, 75 g each white vinegar and granulated sugar.
Instructions
1. First, clean and scale the fish, then score the back with a knife. Place the fish in a basin and pour 750 g (about 3 cups) of boiling water over it, immediately covering with a lid. After about 20 minutes, the fish will be cooked through.
2. When the fish is nearly cooked, prepare two small bowls each of savory sauce and sweet-and-sour sauce. Start by stir-frying the savory sauce ingredients in a wok, then add 150 g (about 2/3 cup) of stock, 5 g of MSG, and salt to taste. Thicken with a cornstarch slurry, then add sesame oil to taste to finish the savory sauce. In a separate wok, stir-fry the sweet-and-sour sauce ingredients until cooked, then add sugar, vinegar, 5 g of MSG, and thicken with a cornstarch slurry. Finish with sesame oil to taste to create the sweet-and-sour sauce. When the fish is done, remove it from the cooking liquid and pour 100 g (about 1/2 cup) of boiling lard over the fish. Serve with two small bowls each of savory sauce and sweet-and-sour sauce on the side.