Sweet & Sour Fish 酸甜鱼

This Internationally popular Chinese dish is always a hit. Whole fish such as Grouper [Garoupa in Portuguese; Kerapu in Malay] is the fish of choice; lightly coated in flour and deep fried whole till crispy. The crispy fish is then topped with stewed pineapple, green pepper and onions in a sweet & sour sauce. Pomfret is another fish that is very popular served this style whole.

INGREDIENTS :
- 1½ lb whole Grouper, cleaned & scaled [Garoupa in Portuguese; Kerapu in Malay]
- salt and pepper
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 cup corn starch flour
- peanut or vegetable oil, for deep-frying fish
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- ½ red bell pepper, diced
- ½ green pepper, diced
- 1 cup pineapple, diced [canned or fresh]
- 2 stalks scallions, white parts only, cut into thin strips lengthwise, for garnish
- 1 tbsp corn starch flour combined with 3 tbsp water, to make a slurry

Sweet & Sour Sauce Ingredients :
- 2-3 tbsp tomato sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1-2 tbsp, or to taste chili paste
- 1-2 tsp balsamic vinegar [or white vinegar]
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- ½ tsp sugar
- pepper to taste
-1½ cups chicken stock

To Prepare :
1. Combine all the sweet & sour sauce ingredients in a bowl and mix well with the chicken stock, set aside
2. Make 2 or 3 deep slits on both sides of the fish, season with salt & white pepper, dip fish into beaten eggs, set aside for 10 mins
3. Dredge fish completely in corn flour, shake off excess
4. Heat peanut or vegetable oil in a hot wok to a smoking point, carefully lower fish into the wok, fry until fish is golden brown, turning fish once
5. Drain well on a metal rack, then transfer to a large serving platter
6. Remove all oil from the wok except for 2-3 tbsp, add onions, stir-fry for a few seconds, add celery, red & green peppers and pineapple, season with salt and pepper, cook vegetables until just tender but still crunchy
7. Add the sweet & sour sauce sauce, cook 1 min
8. Adjust 'sweet' & 'sour' taste to your liking (add more ketchup, sugar and/or vinegar)
9. Add corn starch slurry, stirring until the sauce boils and thickens
10. Immediately pour the sauce over the fish and garnish with scallion strips
11. Serve hot with steamed rice

Variation : Other whole fish recommended for this recipe are Red Snapper, Stripe Bass, Cod, and Stripped Bass. Fish cut into fillets or steaks, at least 1½-inch thick, are also suitable

[The English recipe is originated from http://www.malaysianfood.net/]