Deep-Fried Noodlefish 椒鹽白飯魚

🧂 Ingredients

• 128 g Frozen noodlefish

  or sliver fish
• 1 tsp Salt

  for soaking
• 1 stalk Green onions

  , chopped
• 1 Chili pepper

  , chopped
• 1 tbsp Deep fried garlic

  (you can also use fresh garlic)
• 1 tbsp Oil
• 1 L Oil

  for frying (you can use less oil but you’ll have to fry in more batches)
• ½ Egg white

  (1/2 of the egg white from 1 large egg)
• 1 tsp Oil
• 1 tsp Corn starch
• 2 tsp Flour
• ¼ tsp White pepper powder
• ½ tsp Fish sauce
• 1 c Manioc flour

  aka cassava starch aka tapioca starch (1/3 cup is probably enough but using 1 cup makes it easier to coat but it’ll be more wasteful)
• 1 tsp Corn starch

  (do not combine with the manioc flour)
• 1 tsp Hot bean paste

  (豆瓣醬 dóubǎnjiàng)
• ½ tsp Salt
• ¾ tsp Sugar
• ¼ tsp White pepper powder

Instructions

• 1 Soak frozen noodlefish in water with 1 tsp salt and let thaw
• 2 Chop green onions and prepare fried garlic and chilis I buy the store bought
  fried garlic aka crispy garlic
• 3 In a small bowl, combine 1 tsp hot bean paste, ½ tsp salt, ¾ tsp sugar and ¼
  white pepper powder and set aside preparing it now makes it easier to combine
  with the noodlefish. If you don’t have hot bean paste, you can add more diced
  chilis and ½ tsp of chicken broth powder
• 4 Rinse noodlefish thoroughly and let dry in a colander or on a kitchen towel the
  drier it is, the less oil splatter there is when you deep-fry them
• 5 Make the wet batter by combining ½ egg white, 1 tsp oil, 1 tsp corn starch, 2
  tsp flour, ½ tsp white pepper powder and ½ tsp fish sauce in a mixing bowl. Mix
  well
• 6 When noodlefish is dry, add to wet batter and mix until each fish is well-coated
• 7 On a plate, add 1 cup of manioc flour and then spread the batter-coated
  noodlefish onto the bed of manioc flour
• 8 Use your hands to toss the noodlefish so that each fish is completely coated
  with the manioc flour
• 9 Use a course colander (one with large wholes) or a wire strainer to remove the
  excess flour
• 10 Sprinkle 1 tsp of corn starch and toss the noodlefish in it this will prevent it
  from sticking together when you deep-fry them
• 11 Heat your deep-frying oil to 200˚C or 400˚F If your oil is not hot enough, your
  noodlefish will be chewy instead of crispy. I find deep-frying in a wok is the
  easiest and since it’s narrow on the bottom and wide on the top, it uses less
  oil to fry more quantity
• 12 Put the noodlefish into the wok from the sides to prevent oil splatter. Do not
  overcrowd the wok, it will bring down the temperature of the oil and the
  noodlefish will not be crispy
• 13 Gently move the noodlefish around the wok for even frying and to prevent them
  from sticking to each other. Fry for approx. 2 minutes or until the batter has
  hardened. The color should be quite white. Remove from oil and let sit on a
  cooling rack. If you’re frying more than one batch, then keep frying until all
  the noodlefish is fried. You should try to remove any little pieces of batter in
  the oil with a small strainer in between batches to prevent having burnt pieces.
• 14 Increase the temperature of the oil to 220˚C or 425˚F. Put all the noodlefish
  into the wok again for a second fry. This time, they can be more crowded in the
  wok. Fry for 1 minute or until golden. Remove from oil and let rest in a
  colander
• 15 In a wok or pan, on medium-high heat, add 1 tbsp oil
• 16 Add garlic, chilis, green onions and fry until aromatic
• 17 Then add the seasoning powders and hot bean paste and mix well
• 18 Add the noodlefish and toss until well mixed
• 19 Pour onto serving plate and serve

Nutrition Info