Ingredients
- A fresh grass carp
- Zhenjiang black vinegar or a similar vinegar
- Sugar
- Soy and stock
- Ginger
How it is cooked
- The fish is killed very fresh and cooked briefly so the flesh stays delicate. Traditional versions are not deep-fried first.
- A sauce of vinegar, sugar, and a little soy is thickened and poured over.
- It is brought whole. The sweet and the sour should both be visible, not a brown glaze.
- Eat it because you are in Hangzhou, then decide if you want it again. It is a local classic, not a universal crowd-pleaser.
Taste
Sweet-sour, light, and fishy in the honest sense. The flesh should flake. A heavy batter means it was turned into a different sweet-and-sour fish.
Possible allergens
- Fish.
- Soy sauce, which in China is often brewed with wheat.
- Wheat in the noodles or wrappers, and often in soy sauce.
- Vinegar and sugar are the sauce. Shellfish is not part of the classic plate and can still be in a shared pan.
- A shared wok or a house chili oil can add peanut, sesame, or shellfish even when the recipe does not.