World Flavors Cookbook

Cu Yu (Vinegar-Braised Fish)

Name: Cu Yu (Vinegar-Braised Fish)
Cook time: 25 min
Cuisine: Ancient World
Ingredients: whole carp or sea bass, rice vinegar, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, rock sugar, ginger, scallions, garlic, sesame oil, cornstarch

Whole carp or perch braised in rice vinegar, soy, and ginger — documented in the Qimin Yaoshu (544 CE) as one of the earliest Chinese sweet-sour fish preparations.

Cuisine: Ancient World

Ingredients

whole carp or sea bass, rice vinegar, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, rock sugar, ginger, scallions, garlic, sesame oil, cornstarch

Instructions

Score fish on both sides. Fry in oil until golden on both sides. Remove. In the same pan, fry ginger and garlic. Add vinegar, soy sauce, wine, and rock sugar. Stir. Return fish to pan. Simmer 15 minutes, basting. Sauce should thicken and glaze the fish. Drizzle sesame oil. Garnish with scallions.