1Episode 32: Fish in bean paste sauce Eric's recipes Fish in bean paste sauce 1 2kg Ruby or blue cod (most deep-sea fish will do), scaled and gutted Sauce: Bean paste sauce with chilli, available in Chinese grocery shops 1 Tbsp sweet fermented rice 3 Tbsp finely chopped spring onion 2 Tbsp finely chopped ginger 1 Tbsp finely chopped garlic 1 C of water 1 tsp cornstarch 2 tsp white vinegar salt and sugar to taste Heat a big pot of water in a large saucepan or wok. Make sure there is enough water to cover the fish. When the water just starts to bubble, submerge the fish in it. Cover and allow to cook for around 8 minutes. The actual time of cooking will differ with different sizes and types of fish. Heat up olive oil in a wok or small saucepan. Put in the chopped spring onion, ginger and garlic. Put in the Bean Paste with Chilli. Allow to sizzle for a while. Put in a cup of water, sweet fermented rice, vinegar and sugar. Salt to taste. Dissolve about a tablespoon of cornstarch in water. Add to the sauce to make it thicker. Set aside. When the fish is cooked. Carefully remove it from the saucepan and place it on a large plate. Pour the sauce on top of the fish. Sprinkle a bit of chopped spring onion and it's done. Remarks: Instead of a whole fish, we can also use fish fillets. Instead of poaching, we can also deep fry the fish. For fillets, the cooking time is shorter. It is also more difficult to take the fillet out of the boiling water without breaking it. When adding cornstarch to the sauce, remove the sauce from the heat source to avoid lumpy starch. With cornstarch, the sauce sticks to the fish better. [Television New Zealand, Sunday 09 February 2003, 00:40:48]