Ingredients
1 fresh mandarin fish (about 750 g / 1.5 lbs), 50 g (about 1.75 oz) pork leg meat, 50 g (about 1.75 oz) chicken broth, 25 g (about 1 oz) egg white.
Seasonings
5 g cilantro leaves, 25 g Shaoxing wine, 25 g water starch, 2 g salt, 1.5 g each of MSG and ketchup, 10 g sugar, 15 g cornstarch, 750 g peanut oil (100 g actual consumption).
Instructions
1. Clean the mandarin fish, cut off the head, then slice along both sides of the backbone to the tail, remove the backbone and belly bones, and make crosshatch cuts on the flesh to form pomegranate-seed patterns; in a bowl, combine egg white with Shaoxing wine, salt, MSG, and cornstarch to make an egg white batter; finely mince the pork leg into rice-grain-sized pieces.
2. Heat a wok over high heat, add oil and heat to 350°F (medium heat). Spread the beaten egg white mixture evenly over the fish, then roll the fish with the skin side inward. Place the rolled fish in a strainer and lower it into the hot oil. Cook until the fish is just cooked through, then remove and arrange flat on a plate. Return the wok to the heat, add chicken broth, Shaoxing wine, salt, and MSG, and bring to a boil. Thicken with a cornstarch slurry, drizzle with oil, and pour the sauce over the fish.
3. Reheat the wok over medium heat, add oil and stir-fry the ground pork until broken up, then add Shaoxing wine and ketchup and stir-fry briefly, pour in chicken broth, salt, and sugar, bring to a boil, thicken with cornstarch slurry, remove from heat and spoon the sauce around the fish, then garnish with cilantro leaves and serve.