Sweet and Sour Fish

Cook Time 45 minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

400g white fish (blue eye trevalla, cod, barramundi, flat head), cut into 3cm chunks

¼ cup plain flour

Safflower or other high smoke point oil, for deep-frying

1 onion, quartered then layers separated

1 red capsicum, cubed 

1 cup frozen pineapple pieces, thawed 

Sesame seeds, to garnish 

Batter 

2 tbsp cornflour

2 egg yolks 

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp salt

Sweet and sour sauce

⅓ cup rice wine vinegar

2 tbsp Shaoxing wine or dry sherry

2 tbsp white sugar

3 tbsp ketchup

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp hoisin sauce

1 tbsp cornflour mixed with 1 tbsp water

Method

In a bowl combine cornflour and 2 tablespoons of water along with the egg, soy, sesame oil and salt. Whisk until a smooth batter forms. Add fish and coat well.

To make the sweet and sour sauce, combine all the ingredients in a bowl apart from the corn flour slurry.

Heat enough oil to shallow fry a wok, it should reach 180°C. Working in batches coat pieces of batter fish in the flour to roughly coat so it forms a shaggy texture. Fry until crisp and drain on a tray lined with a rack.

Discard the oil and clean the wok.

Add 1 tablespoon of oil back into the wok. Heat over a high heat and add the onion, garlic and capsicum. Fry for a minute then add the pineapple followed by the sauce. Bring to the boil so it becomes thick and rich and then mix in the cornflour slurry. Return the fish pieces and carefully fold through sauce and vegetables.

Garnish with sesame seeds and serve with steamed rice.