SICHUAN BOILED FISH (SHUI ZHU YU)

Ingredients

• 700 g white-fleshed fish fillets, tilapia, basa, cod, or sea bass; filleted and sliced 5 mm on a bias against the grain
• For the velvet coating
• 1 egg white
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• ¼ tsp white pepper, ground
• For the cooking liquid
• 1 litre light chicken stock or water
• 2 tbsp doubanjiang, Sichuan fermented broad-bean chilli paste
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced
• 20 g fresh ginger, sliced
• 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
• 4 dried red chillies, whole
• For the base
• 200 g bean sprouts, raw
• 150 g celery, cut into batons, blanched briefly
• For the oil finish
• 30 g dried whole red chillies, deseeded for moderate heat
• 2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
• 150 ml vegetable oil, neutral

Method

1. 1
   Combine the sliced fish with the egg white, cornstarch, salt, Shaoxing wine, and white pepper. Toss until every surface is evenly coated and the coating clings without pooling. Rest for 10 minutes. The fish is ready when the slices are uniformly glossy and slightly tacky to the touch.
2. 2
   In a wide pot over medium heat, fry the doubanjiang, garlic, ginger, Sichuan peppercorns, and dried chillies in a small amount of vegetable oil, stirring constantly, until the paste darkens by one shade and the oil runs red and fragrant — at least 2 minutes. Add the stock or water and bring to a bare simmer. The liquid is ready when steam rises steadily but no bubbles break the surface.
3. 3
   Lay the bean sprouts and blanched celery in the bottom of a deep serving bowl. This is the base; no further cooking of the vegetables is required — the oil finish will warm them.
4. 4
   Slide the velveted fish slices into the barely-simmering liquid one by one. Poach for 60–90 seconds only. This is where the dish lives or dies: the liquid must not boil, and the fish must be removed the instant the flesh turns uniformly opaque and the slices separate cleanly — any further time in the liquid produces rubbery, dense fish that cannot be recovered.
5. 5
   Lift the fish immediately with a spider or slotted spoon and lay the slices over the vegetables in the bowl. Ladle a moderate amount of the seasoned cooking liquid over the fish — enough to submerge the base without drowning the fish slices.
6. 6
   Arrange the dried whole chillies and Sichuan peppercorns in an even, generous layer across the surface of the fish. Heat the vegetable oil in a small pan or ladle to 220°C — smoking point. The oil is ready when a wisp of smoke rises continuously from the surface.
7. 7
   Pour the smoking oil in one steady stream over the chillies and peppercorns. A violent crackling sizzle, audible across the room, confirms the oil temperature was correct. Simultaneously, the characteristic floral-citrus mala fragrance of bloomed Sichuan pepper should fill the kitchen. Serve at once — the dish does not wait.