Recipe - Deep-Fried Sweet-And-Pungent Fish

2 Dried black mushrooms
1 (2lb) fish
1 teaspoon Salt
1 Scallion stalk
1 Or
2 sl Fresh ginger root
2 tablespoon Sherry
2 tablespoon Smoked ham
1/8 cup Green pepper
1 tablespoon Fresh red chili pepper
2 sl Fresh ginger root
1/8 cup Bamboo shoots
One half Scallion stalk
Oil for deepfrying
Flour
2 tablespoon Oil
One half cup Stock
4 tablespoon Sugar
4 tablespoon Vinegar
1 tablespoon Soy sauce
2 tablespoon Cornstarch
2 tablespoon Water

1. Soak dried mushrooms.

2. Have fish cleaned and scaled, but left whole. Wash; then dry well with
paper toweling. Score on both sides. Sprinkle inside and out with salt.

3. Mince scallion and ginger root; arrange over fish. Sprinkle fish with
sherry. Let stand 10 to 20 minutes.

4. Meanwhile mince ham, green pepper, fresh red chili pepper, remaining
ginger root and soaked mushrooms. Slice bamboo shoots. Cut remaining
scallion stalk in 1/2inch sections.

5. Heat oil. Sprinkle fish with flour to coat. Using a wire basket or
longhandled Chinese strainer, lower in fish and deepfry 3 minutes. Lift
out and drain.

6. Repeat twice more (reheat oil each time) until fish is crisp and golden.
Drain on paper toweling. Keep warm.

7. Heat remaining oil. Add ham and vegetables and stirfry 1 to 2 minutes.
Remove from pan.

8. Add stock, sugar, vinegar and soy sauce to the same pan and bring to a
boil. Meanwhile blend cornstarch and cold water to a paste; then stir in
to thicken.

9. Return ham and vegetables to sauce only to heat through. Pour mixture
over fish and serve.

From The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook, ISBN 0517658704. Downloaded
from Glen's MM Recipe Archive, http://www.erols.com/hosey.