Pomfret Mandarin Style.

Chinese food is enjoyed all over the world. Its cooked in different countries in different ways to suit the individual palates. In India, a cross section of the public eat on a weekly basis in hotels and at street corners.
Chinese food is very simple to cook at home, provided you follow the rules how best to cook it.
The primary need of best results is a big gas flame and that is exactly the problem in our homes.
So use that burner which gives a big flame and never, never cook on sim. To control the flame lift the wok out of the gas for few seconds.

Chinese food is cooked on the Taoist principle of Yin and Yang. A Chinese dish reflects a balance of taste, texture, aroma and colour. Be it sweet, sour, pungent, hot, salty or spicy. These six flavours are incorporated deftly in all the dishes.
When you cook Chinese, it is important to follow the recipe to the letter for best results.
All ingredients must be ready on the work platform before you start cooking. Heat the wok properly and be quick in adding your ingredients at the right time. Its all about fast hand work. This cooking is the opposite of Indian cooking which is cooked slowly for longer durations.
For best results food should be cooked just when you want to serve. Chinese food should be straight from the wok to the plate.
You might not get the best results in the first attempt but keep trying once you perfect the art there is no looking back.

Ingredients:

• 2 medium sized pomfrets
• Salt to taste
• 2 tbsps lime juice
• 1 tbsp chilli oil (take1 tbsp kashmiri chilli powder or 1tbs chopped kashmiri chiilies in a bowl . Heat 4tbsp oil  and pour the hot oil on the chillies or chilli powder keep the oil aside for few hours.Use only the oil as chilli oil)
• 1 spring onion greens
• 4 cloves garlic (should be the big variety or use 8)
• 1/2 medium capsicum
• 1 pineapple slice optional
• a few sprigs of coriander leaves kept in ice cold water.
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 1/4 cup tomato sauce
• 1/4 tsp Ajinomoto if you use. I do not use.
• 1/4 tsp white pepper powder
• 1 tbsp red chili flakes
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1cup chicken stock ( I make chicken stock with chicken carcass bones, 1onion, 1 small carrot , 1 stick celery, a bay leaf, some peppercorns and a star anise with 1 litre water, when the water boils remove impurities that float on top and put on simmer for an hour)
• 2 tbsp oil + oil for deep frying.

Method:

• Clean the Pomfret and make slits at the stomach.
• Make four to five quarter inch deep cuts on both sides of the fish apply salt, lime juice and chilli oil. Marinate for 1/2 an hour.
• Chop spring onion greens into very fine pieces.
• Peel and chop garlic
• Deseed and cut capsicum into 1/2 inch pieces
• Cut pineapple into 1/2 inch pieces
• Keep coriander in chilled water.
• Mix cornstarch in 1/2 cup water.
• In a bowl mix tomato sauce, ajinomoto, white pepper powder, chili flakes, sugar and salt with chicken stock.
• Deep fry marinated fish and remove to kitchen paper. ( I usually just pan fry the fish to use less oil for health reasons).
• Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wok add chopped garlic and capsicum and stir fry briefly
• Stir in the prepared sauce with stock and spice mix. Bring it to a boil.
• Add pineapple and blended cornstarch continue to cook on high heat for a minute.
• Pour sauce on the fried pomfret. 
• Garnish with coriander sprigs and spring onion greens.

Serve pipping hot with Fried Rice, Steamed Rice or Noodles of your choice.

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