April 27, 2007
Fish With Leeks And Fermented Soy Beans
A few days ago, a reader by the name of Delia tried my Leek and Tofu recipe and commented that it “…came out very nice” and was “… nice to have a change from the usual leek with prawns recipe.” :) Thanks Delia!
Because of her encouragement, I looked for another recipe with leeks and found another easy recipe which is simply delicious.
Now, the problem I faced in this recipe was which type of fish to use? I am not an expert in buying fish. I usually buy salmon fillets or pomfrets only. It happened that the other day at the supermarket, I saw this “auntie” (customer) with an amiable disposition buying some fish. She looked like she knew what she was buying, so I decided to approach her for some fish advice and I asked her what fish is good for pan-frying?
She cordially said that she herself bought a live tilapia fish ($3.99 per pound) and the reason she bought a tilapia fish is because their bones are longer, so it’s easier for kids to handle. Arrr… easier for kids - just what I wanted! I’ve got one big kid at home currently.
I got the fishmonger to kill, clean and scale the live tilapia fish for me. Actually the fish wasn’t quite dead even after the cleaning and scaling. When I was at the cashiers, the poor thing flipped its tail a bit. That gave me a scare!
Anyways, here is the easy Chinese recipe for my Fish With Leeks And Fermented Soy Beans:
Ingredients (Serves 2):
- 1 tilapia fish
- 1 stalk green onions (cut into 2″ lengths)
- 4-5 slices ginger
- 1 stalk leeks (use 2 stalks if you love leeks) (cut the white part into slices on the bias)
- 1/4 lb minced pork (the non-lean type)
- 1 tbsp fermented soy beans
- 1/2 bowl warm water
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 red chillies (remove seeds and cut into slices)
- corn starch water
Seasoning for pork and tilapia:
- salt, white pepper, corn starch
Cooking Method:
1. Season minced pork with a sprinkle of salt, a couple dashes of white pepper and a sprinkle of corn starch. Mix well.
2. Do the same for the tilapia. Sprinkle salt, white pepper and corn starch on the inside (stomach) and outside (skin) and gently rub the seasoning onto the tilapia. Insert 2-3 slices of ginger and a few pieces of spring onions into the stomach of the tilapia.
3. Heat up 3-4 tbsp oil in a wok. Pan fry fish until both sides become golden brown or cooked. Dish out and set aside.
4. In the same wok, add the remaining green onions and ginger. Add the minced pork and stir fry until fragrant before adding the leeks. Fry over high heat until fragrant, then add the fermented soy beans and mix well.
5. Add in the tilapia and half a bowl of water and cook over low heat for about 10 mins. (Cover wok so that the gravy won’t evaporate.)
6. Add sugar and chilli slices and mix well. Slowly add corn starch solution and stir well until desired gravy thickness.
7. Serve the Fish With Leeks And Fermented Soy Beans with plain white rice and remember to drizzle the flavorful gravy over the rice. Enjoy!
Bite This!
More recipes:
Steamed Ribs With Fermented Black Beans
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April 27th, 2007 at 6:27 pm
My mom used to steam fish with fermented beans too. Yummy!! I haven’t had it in almost 20 years since I left home. Yikes, am I dating myself here? Yeap, I’m officially an old fart.
April 27th, 2007 at 6:51 pm
You also bought tau cheo? I prefer tau cheo to black beans, actually. Did this fresh tilapia have a muddy taste? I’m worse…other than that ONE time I bought a pomfret to cook the assam dish (just like the assam prawns)…it’s just fillet fillet fillet . I find it easier and less messy - preparing, cooking, and eating part. And the recent halibut (sorry, now you cannot eat halibut coz it’s a big fish) and cod that joined in my cooking were great for steaming, even.
April 27th, 2007 at 9:33 pm
Ming:
Steamed fish with fermented beans - I gotta try that too! Maybe pomfret will work for that one.
Tiga!
Ya… I bought tau cheo just to make this dish. No lei.. the tilapia did not have any muddy taste… maybe becos this dish is very flavorful as opposed to just steaming the fish alone.
I like cod too… my mom pan fries cod with leeks.
April 27th, 2007 at 10:19 pm
Oh man, buying a live fish for cooking would freak me out!
April 29th, 2007 at 12:16 pm
Daddy! Be brave! LOL!
April 29th, 2007 at 2:32 pm
Give me fish anytime, any style I’ll take it..wah, you added minced pork, v/nice, kinda like teochew style w/radish shreds and minced pork, yummy :))
April 29th, 2007 at 3:01 pm
wow that’s how a tilapia fish looks? i have bought the tilapia fillets. :D can you make this dish w/ the fillets instead. ;o
April 29th, 2007 at 3:28 pm
MW:
I wanted more “juice” for the gravy so the minced pork worked well. Can use pork belly too (if you want more fats :))
BC:
I haven’t tried with fillets. I am not sure if using fillets will be a bit dry. How about you try it and “report” the result? :)
April 29th, 2007 at 7:57 pm
My dad fishes for perch a lot so I’ve always steamed and fried perch. Very good. Tilapia is a real easy fish to work with too. It’s often sold in the American grocery stores in filets if you want to pan-fry.
April 29th, 2007 at 8:10 pm
I am very very picky when it comes to fish, I do not like fresh water fish such as cat fish and tilapia. Somehow they always taste muddy to me…maybe it’s just me. :P
April 29th, 2007 at 10:11 pm
Chopsticks:
I haven’t seen perch around. The tilapia fillets are found in Asian supermarkets too.
RM:
:) Yes, it’s you you you.
May 3rd, 2007 at 3:24 pm
I’ve never bought a live fish before. That doesn’t sound very exiting, but it would be much fresher!
Though that tilapia fish has slightly intimidating looks, I prefer cooking it without the head. :)
May 3rd, 2007 at 4:17 pm
I also thought the fish looked a bit angry. It’s like glaring at me. I like the meat from the fish cheeks and the top of the fish head - those are very tender. Of course there was only very little meat here becos this fish was small (about 1 lb).
May 3rd, 2007 at 10:37 pm
Looks delicious! I love fish soup/flavor noodle dishes.
November 29th, 2007 at 2:09 pm
Hey Yich and the other fans of this inspiring blog :) I’m no expert in buying fish either. Usually end up with the same kind of fishes mentioned here. Anyone has any idea how to serve Milk Fish? If I’m not mistaken, Red Snapppers can be deep fried and steamed, with the similar fish recipes Yich posted up right? Right?