Recreate dishes from Hong Kong’s top culinary talent at home!
We’re constantly on the lookout for cooking inspiration and are always swapping ideas in the office, which is why we’ve decided to start a recipe post featuring chefs from some of our favourite eateries across the city. Every month, we’ll ask one restaurant to pick a dish to share with our readers. First up is Chef Saito from cantonese grill and dim sum hotspot John Anthony, who has chosen to reveal the secrets behind his Stir-Fried Sustainable Farmed Garoupa.
We asked him what led to him creating this dish and he told us:
“I wanted to incorporate salted fish into a dish, which is an ingredient frequently used in Cantonese cuisine. I knew it would pair well with garoupa and act as the seasoning to this very fresh and clean-tasting fish. I think the key to this dish lies in the harmony between the different types of fish used. On top of that, we also added our homemade Szechuan chilli oil to add warmth and a little kick.”
We also asked why he thinks this dish will be a hit with our readers:
“This is a great dish to make at home because it doesn’t require an oven, so even those who only have a stovetop or gas cooker can make it the same way we make it in the restaurant! Also, you will see the way the three different types of fish come together to make a very harmonious balance of flavours.”
He assures us that if your local supermarket doesn’t stock all the ingredients he lists, you’ll be able to pick up what you need in typical Chinese food stores or at local markets.
Stir-Fried Sustainable Farmed Garoupa by Chef Saito
Ingredients
200g garoupa
¼ tsp soy sauce
½ tsp sugar
½ tbsp starch solution
¼ tsp pepper oil
A pinch of salt
½ tbsp egg white
1 tsp potato flour
10 pieces chopped scallion
10 pieces tiger skin peppercorns
1 tsp ginger
⅓ tsp hot pepper (Chao Tian Jiao)
½ tsp salted fish
⅓ tsp crushed garlic
6-8 segments dried chilli
2 pieces air dried silver fish
Directions
- Mix together the salt, egg white, potato flour and ¼ teaspoon of the sugar in a bowl. Add the garoupa and marinate for 15 minutes.
- In another small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, starch solution, pepper oil and the remaining ¼ teaspoon of sugar. Set aside.
- Add a small amount of oil to a saucepan and heat. Add the garoupa and stir fry for a few minutes until cooked. Set aside.
- In another pan, gently fry the scallion and tiger skin peppercorns and also set aside.
- Then gently fry the ginger, hot pepper, salted fish and garlic in a clean pan.
- Add the garoupa as well as the scallion, peppercorn and dried chilli mixture to this pan. Stir fry together before adding the soy seasoning mix from step 2 and mix over the heat.
- Serve with the air dried fish on top and accompanied by your preferred choice of vegetables.
Read more: John Anthony: The New Dim Sum And Chinese Restaurant By Maximal Concepts
All images courtesy of John Anthony