Firstly, let’s prepare the carp (about 900g)
Stun the fish, and remove its scales and guts, then rinse it for later use
It’s better to remove its teeth inside as well when preparing
Which can reduce the fishy smell
Next, score the fish
Make three slant cuts on one side of the carp
Turn it around, and make three more cuts
Then flip over the fish and repeat the process
Remember not to cut the edge of the fish
Otherwise the carp could easily break down when we pan fry it later
Next, let’s prepare the other ingredients
Get a small piece of pork belly and dice it into small cubes
The purpose of adding pork belly is to lift the fragrance of the dish
You can also just use some lard instead
Dice three shiitake mushrooms
They can replace MSG to increase the umami taste of the fish
Then dice a small piece of ginger
A few cloves of garlic
And lastly some white parts of scallions
Now, let’s cook
Firstly, heat up the wok
Once the wok is hot, add in some base oil and heat it up to 50% hot (150 degrees centigrade)
Add one teaspoon of salt (2g) into the hot oil
Then put it the carp and pan fry it for 5 minutes with medium-low heat
This allows both sides of the fish to be golden and fragrant
Halfway through, flip the carp over, and continue frying
The salt added into the oil can prevent the fish from sticking to the wok
After 5 minutes, remove the carp from the wok and leave it to rest
Next, add in small amount of base oil and heat it up again
Then fry the diced pork belly, and bring out the aroma and fat
After that, add in the diced ginger and garlic and stir fry until aromatic
The pork belly cubes must be fried until golden and its fat released
Once ginger and garlic are fragrant, add in the diced shiitake mushrooms and scallions
Stir fry them evenly, and then season the sauce
Add in 10g of oyster sauce
Drizzle in 6g of light soy sauce from the edge of the wok
Then pour in a bottle of beer (500ml)
After the sauce is boiled with high heat, add in a teaspoon of salt (1.5g)
A small amount of ground pepper
Some sugar to lift the umami
Half a teaspoon of five spices
And 4g of caramel
Alternatively, you can use dark soy sauce if you don’t have caramel
Next, add back the carp to braise for 6 minutes
Baste the fish with the sauce while braising
You don’t need to flip it over
After 6 minutes, take the carp out of the wok for plating
Then, boil the remaining sauce
Once boiled, add in some starch slurry and reduce the sauce down
Lastly, stir in a small amount of Mingyou and pour the sauce over the fish
A delicious braised carp suitable for the Lunar New Year is now served
Let’s move on to the technical review:
Firstly, most types of fish can be used for this dish, but you’d better choose those with fewer fishbones
Secondly, this dish is rather mild and good for elder people and young kids
Thirdly, if you like heavier taste, please watch my next video where I will be making a Sichuan version of it
That’s all for the technical review of the braised carp (non-spicy version)