INGREDIENTS

• 2.2 lbs grass carp

DIRECTIONS

1. Trim off the head and tail of the fish, then split the fish head open from the middle.

2. Using a knife, along the backbone of the fish, remove the two fillets from both sides of the fish.

3. Cut the fish bones into sections, then slice the two large fillets into fish slices.

   Tips:

   Slicing the fish: Place a large fillet skin-side down on the cutting board with the tail pointing left. Hold the tail end of the fish with your left hand and slice diagonally from the head towards the tail with a knife, making slices about 0.5 centimeters thick. (The tighter you hold the tail with your left hand, the easier it is to slice. If you're not confident in your knife skills, consider asking the fishmonger at the market to slice the fish for you.)

4. Once finished, separate the sliced fish from the fish head, tail, and bones, and arrange them separately.

5. For the fish slices, add an appropriate amount of salt, white pepper powder, 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, 2 tablespoons of cooking wine, and 1 egg white. Mix well with your hands until evenly coated. Marinate for just enough time until ready to cook.

6. While marinating, wash the Suan Cai, squeeze out excess water, and cut it into sections. Cut the dried chili peppers into sections, slice the ginger and garlic, and chop the green onions for later use.

7. Heat a small amount of oil in a pot, add the ginger slices and stir-fry briefly. Then add the fish head, tail, and bones, and fry over medium heat until the fish meat turns white.

8. Increase the heat to high, add about half a pot of water, and bring it to a boil. Then add a little cooking wine. Cook until the broth turns milky white, then remove from heat.

   Tips:

   It usually takes about 10 minutes to cook. If you only want to eat the fish slices, you can remove the fish head, tail, and bones and leave only the fish soup.

9. In the pot, add a small amount of oil and sauté the ginger slices and garlic slices until fragrant. Then add the Suan Cai and stir-fry until the sour flavor emerges, which takes approximately 3-5 minutes.

10. Next, pour in the fish broth. Once it boils, add a little chicken bouillon. If you enjoy a tangy flavor, you can also add some white vinegar.

    Tips:

    Since the Suan Cai itself tends to be salty, taste the broth first. If you feel it's not salty enough, you can add a bit more salt.

11. Place the marinated fish slices into the boiling fish broth. Use a spatula to gently separate the fish slices to prevent sticking. Let it cook for 3-5 minutes after the water comes to a boil until the fish is fully cooked, then remove from heat.

12. Sprinkle chopped green onions on top. Although green onions have been added, it's not the end yet.

13. Heat a large skillet over high heat and add an adequate amount of oil. Toss in the dried chili pepper pieces and stir-fry until fragrant. Then immediately drizzle the fragrant oil over the Suan Cai Yu.

14. With these steps, a super delicious and authentic Suan Cai Yu is now ready to be served.