The typical Chinese style sweet and sour fish is usually cooked whole including its head. Since it requires a lot of oil in frying, I opted for the frozen fillets commonly found in supermarkets. To keep the batter crispy, I employed the typical British style of frying fish fillets.
Ingredients:
1 lb. fish fillet (grouper or cream dory) sliced to 5-6 pcs
per fillet
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup corn starch
1 bottle cold beer
1-1/2 cup peanut cooking oil
pinch of salt
Sweet & Sour Sauce
1 small can of pineapple chunks
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tspn sesame oil
1 tblspn light soy
1 tblspn dark soy
2 tblspns wine vinegar
1 tblspn corn starch
1/2 cup water
2 tblspn ketchup
pinch of salt
1 red bell pepper sliced to 1 square inch
1 green pepper sliced to 1 square inch
1 large white onion sliced to 1 square inch
2 slices ginger
2 garlic cloves
In a bowl, combine the flour and corn starch mixture. Add beer while stirring until you get a thick consistency. Heat a frying pan and pour the peanut oil until it reaches 370 f, then set the heat low. Dip the fillets 3 to 4 pcs at a time in the batter and fry until the fillets start to float. Set aside on a strainer. Keep the pan at 370 f and after a few minutes, refry the fillets until golden brown. Drain the fillets and set on a deep platter.
In another pan, saute the garlic, ginger for a minute and add the onions, green pepper and stir for a couple of minutes. Add the sugar, vinegar, ketchup, light and dark soy, and sesame oil and stir. Add the tablespoon of corn starch into the 1/2 cup of water and stir. Add the corn starch mixture to the pan until the sauce start to boil and thicken. Set aside for a few minutes to cool. Pour the sauce over the fish fillets and serve. Bona petit!