Golden Lion Fish

Golden Lion Fish

　　Place of origin: Hebei, China.    History: The Golden Lion Fish dish originated in the early years of the Republic of China. It was first created by Yuan Qingfang, a renowned chef at Zhonghua Restaurant in Shijiazhuang. The finished dish is golden in color and shaped like a lion, hence the name. In 1952, during the Culinary Skills Performance Competition held in eight major cities in Hebei, Yuan’s “Golden Lion Fish” received high praise. This dish was also one of the featured specialties from Hebei presented at the National Culinary Appraisal Conference in 1983.    Features: Made from carp, the fish is processed, decorated, and then deep-fried. It has a golden color, with fluffy, lion-like fish strips, and a pleasantly sweet and sour taste.    Preparation: Clean the fish. Split it open from the lower lip, open the gill cover, and slice the fish fillets crosswise into thin slices on both sides, with each slice still connected to the body. Then cut the slices into fine shreds using scissors. Finely chop the scallions, ginger, and garlic into small grains; cut the magnolia slices and ham slices into 7 cm long shreds. Heat a wok, add peanut oil, and heat until it reaches 40% hot. Evenly spread the prepared egg batter over the fish, then place it in the hot oil. Shake the fish while frying to let the shreds separate and turn golden brown. Remove the fish and place it belly-down on a plate. Leave a little oil in the wok, add the chopped scallion, ginger, garlic, magnolia bamboo shoots, and 7 cm-long ham shreds, along with cooking wine, vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce. Cook until thickened, then add wet starch to make a rich sauce. Drizzle with a bit of hot oil, pour the sauce over the fish, and serve.