Ingredients
1 live sea bass (about 650 g / 1.4 lb), 2 leaves of Chinese broccoli (gai lan).
Seasonings
5 g minced ginger, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon each ketchup, Shaoxing wine, and water starch, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 100 g cornstarch, 1000 g vegetable oil (about 100 g will be absorbed).
Preparation
1. Wash the Chinese broccoli leaves, cut them into chrysanthemum leaf shapes, blanch in boiling water, then remove and drain.
2. Place the minced ginger in a bowl, add a splash of cooking wine and mash it, then strain to extract the juice.
3. Clean the sea bass by scaling, removing the head, tail, and internal organs, then rinse thoroughly. Fillet the fish into two pieces, removing the backbone and any bones.
4. Take the cleaned sea bass fillet, place it skin-side down on a cutting board, score the flesh in a chrysanthemum pattern, then cut into large pieces. Place in a large bowl, add a pinch of salt and cooking wine to marinate, then coat evenly with starch.
Steps
1. Heat oil in a wok to 350°F (medium heat), use chopsticks to hold each fish piece and carefully lower it into the oil, deep-fry until crispy on the outside and tender inside, forming a chrysanthemum shape, then remove and drain the oil, arrange on a plate with Chinese broccoli leaves for garnish.
2. Leave a thin layer of oil in the wok and bring it to a boil, then add ketchup and stir until well combined, pour in some water and stir to mix, add sugar, salt, and rice vinegar, thicken with a cornstarch slurry, then pour the sauce over the bass and serve.