Crispy Fish in Chilli Sauce

Think of a comfort meal, cooked at home quicker than your closest home delivery and enjoyed with your feet up on the couch with your favourite soap. The first thing that comes to my mind is Chinese food! Hot, spicy, sweet, sour and covered in a glossy sauce.

The universal appeal and popularity of Chinese takeaway style food is because it caters to our “Bliss Point” -the point at which we get the greatest pleasure from the combination of salt, sugar and fat. Cooking your Chinese food at home ensures the quality and freshness of the ingredients used and complete control over the use of sodium, sugar and oil.

This easy and quick recipe actually makes a delicious meal that you can enjoy in minutes without overdosing on salt and fat. The same recipe you can use for boneless chicken and prawns too for a super quick and vibrant meal.

I tossed some vegetables cut into bite size pieces in the leftover batter to make crispy vegetables fritters and served them on the side. I had green bell peppers, onions and eggplants, you can use any of your favourites.

Boneless fish fillet, 250 g
6 tablespoons plain flour
2 tablespoons corn flour
2 egg whites, beaten
1/4 cup water
Salt and pepper to taste
Sunflower oil for shallow frying

1 tablespoon sunflower oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 inch piece ginger, grated
1/4 cup tomato sauce
2 tablespoons Chinese hot sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
3-4 tablespoons water

Pat dry and cut fish fillet into bite size cubes.

Mix plain flour, corn flour, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl. Add beaten eggs and mix. Gradually add water to make a thick and smooth batter.

Heat oil in a frying pan for shallow frying on medium heat. Dip fish pieces in the batter to coat completely and fry till golden brown and cooked through ( almost 3-5 minutes according to the thickness of the pieces). Don’t over crowd the pan, fry in batches. Drain in a sieve, not on paper towel, for a crispier fish.

For sauce, place oil, ginger and garlic in a sauce pan. Heat for a few seconds till aromatic. Add tomato sauce, hot sauce, soy sauce, vinegar and sugar.

Stir over medium heat for a minute. Add water gradually to achieve the required consistency of sauce. It should be thick enough to coat the fish pieces.

Add fried fish pieces and toss to cover them in sauce completely.

Serve immediately with steamed rice.

Serves 2