Ingredients
1 carp (about 1200 g / 2.6 lbs), 400 g pork belly, 300 g diced pork shoulder, 100 g diced soaked shiitake mushrooms, 50 g diced winter bamboo shoots, 25 g each of dried shrimp and dried flounder, and broth as needed.
Seasonings
200 g (about 7 oz) lard net, and appropriate amounts of MSG, soy sauce, and water chestnut starch.
Instructions
1. Clean the carp thoroughly, split it open from the back, remove the innards, and also take out the central backbone and belly bones completely.
2. Stir-fry the dried fish pieces until fragrant, then transfer to a bowl and mix with diced pork, diced shiitake mushrooms, diced bamboo shoots, MSG, and salt until well combined. Stuff this mixture into the fish belly, then brush a small amount of wet water chestnut starch paste over the back.
3. Heat oil in a wok, deep-fry the fish until golden brown, remove it, then wrap the pork slices in the lard net and add to the wok, braising together until the fish is cooked through; take out the fish, discard the lard net, plate the fish, then add MSG to the remaining sauce, thicken with a water chestnut starch slurry, and pour over the fish to serve.