Steamed Fish with Pickled Chilies & Black Beans

Ingredients:

1 medium size fish - flounder, grouper, etc

80ml or 1/3 cup chicken stock

1 tbs Chinese cooking wine

a pinch of white pepper

10 tbs pickled red chilies (recipe below)

1 tbs fermented black beans (asian store)

1 chopped spring scallion

3 tbs cooking oil

3 tbs soya sauce

Method:

Clean fish. Place fish on a steaming plate (I used a steel plate)

Add chicken stock and cooking wine. Season with pepper, then spoon pickled red chili and black beans evenly over fish. Steam for 10 mins or until fish is cooked.

Sprinkle with scallion over fish.

Heat oil in a wok and pour over fish. Do the same with soy sauce. Serve Hot.

Pickled Red Chilies recipe:

Makes 2 cups

Pickled red chili is available in jars from Asian stores. If not available, make your own. It can be stored in a clean container in the refrigerator indefinitely.

14 1/2 oz of Red chilies- stalks removed

1/3 cup white vinegar

2 tbs salt

4 slices of ginger

Start preparations a week ahead

chop chilies finely. Do not use blender or chilies will not keep. Transfer to a plastic bottle with a screw cap and add vinegar, salt and ginger. Leave at room temperature for 7 days. This will rid the chilies of their spicyness.

Keep in refrigerator and use as needed.