Chinese Recipe : Sweet and Sour Deep-Dried Carp

Ingredients:

• 1 whole fresh carp, grouper, perch, snapper or bream, 750 g – 1kg
  
• 1 cup cornflour
  
• Oil for deep frying

Sauce:

• 3 tbsp tomato paste
  
• ½ cup water
  
• ½ tsp salt
  
• 3 tbsp sugar
  
• 2 tsp white rice vinegar
  
• 1 heaped tbsp frozen green peas, defrosted
  
• 1 tsp cornflour, mixed with water

Directions:

1. Clean and scale the fish. Carefully remove the flesh from both sides of the fish, keeping the head, backbone and tail intact.
2. Leave the skin on the fish fillets but remove all bones carefully. Put the fish fillets, skin side down, on a chopping board.
3. Using a sharp knife, carefully cut diagonal lines across each piece of fish, taking care not to cut right through to the skin.
4. Turn the fish and cut diagonal lines across those already made to form a diamond pattern. Cut the fish fillets into piece about 6 cm x 2 cm and set aside.
5. Heat oil in a wok until very hot. Sprinkle the fish skeleton on both sides with cornflour, shaking to remove any excess.
6. Deep fry the skeleton until lightly brown and crisp, then drain and arrange on a serving plate.
7. Dip the prepared pieces of fish in cornflour, shaking to remove any excess, then deep fry in the same hot oil until crisp and golden brown.
8. Drain and arrange on top of the fish skeleton.
9. Tip the oil out of the wok and add all sauce ingredients, except cornflour.
10. Bring to the boil, lower heat, then thicken with cornflour.
11. Taste and add more vinegar, if liked.
12. Pour sauce over the fish and serve immediately.