Chrysanthemum Perch

Chrysanthemum Perch

　　Fuzhou cuisine’s Chrysanthemum Perch belongs to Fujian cuisine and is cooked using the braising method. Chrysanthemum Perch has a delicious taste.

　　Ingredients used in Fuzhou cuisine’s Chrysanthemum Perch

　　Main ingredients: perch and dry starch

　　Seasonings: 50g tomato ketchup; 15g rice vinegar; 2.5g monosodium glutamate; 50g white sugar; 1.5g refined salt

　　Ingredients: 500g peanut oil; 100g dry starch; 10g wet starch; 2 leaves of Chinese broccoli; 75g clear meat broth

　　How to make Fuzhou cuisine’s Chrysanthemum Perch:　

　　1. Scale the perch, chop off the head and tail, remove the internal organs, wash, then cut into two fillets. Remove the spine and rib bones. Make 1cm-wide, 0.33cm-deep straight cuts on the flesh side of the fish, then make diagonal cuts 1cm wide and 1/3 through the fish to form sections. Each section will resemble a chrysanthemum petal. Repeat this process to make a total of 10 chrysanthemum perch pieces.

　　2. Wash the Chinese broccoli leaves, cut them into chrysanthemum petal shapes, and blanch them in boiling water until cooked. Remove them. Mix the clear meat broth, refined salt, rice vinegar, white sugar, tomato ketchup, monosodium glutamate, and wet starch to make a sauce.

　　3. Heat the wok over high heat, add peanut oil, and heat until 70% hot. Coat the raw perch pieces evenly with dry starch, then deep-fry them in the oil for 2 minutes until the fish pieces curl into chrysanthemum shapes. Gently scoop them out with a strainer, drain the oil, and arrange them on a plate. Decorate with the chrysanthemum-shaped Chinese broccoli leaves.

　　4. Leave about 50g of oil in the wok, return to high heat, pour in the sauce, bring it to a boil, thicken with starch, then pour the sauce over the chrysanthemum perch to finish.