Tag Archives: brown sauce

Braised Fish in Brown Sauce

Fish is a must-have dish during Chinese New Year. In Chinese fish is 鱼 (yú), which sounds like another character 余. 余 means extra or surplus. So we always say 年年有余 (nián nián yǒu yú),that means May you always get more than you wish.

Braised fish in brown sauce is a regularly-seen dish on Chinese dining table. And it’s kind of my husband’s favorite way of cooked fish.

This cooking method is ideal for those fish from lake or river, not very very skinny type. And if the fish is from deep sea, this method is not recommended. Braised with sauce is a good way to add more flavor to plain fish and it will also reduce fish’s original freshness at the same time.

Ingredients:

2 rabbit fish

Oil 2 tsp

Dark soy sauce 1 tablespoon

Light soy sauce 1 tablespoon

Cooking wine 1 tablespoon

Sugar 1 1/2 tbsp

Ginger 3 slices

Garlic slices of 2 cloves

Bay leaves

Star anise

Hot water 1 cup

Shredded spring onion

1. Wipe the fish with kitchen towel to make them dry.

2. Heat 2 tsp oil in the pan. Put fish inside. Fry each side for 2-3 mins or till a bit brown.

3. Add in ginger, garlic, bay leaves, star anise. Stir till aromatic.

4. Add in dark & light soy sauce, cooking wine, sugar and water.

5. Cover pan with lid. Braise with medium heat for 10 mins. Then flip fish over and braise for another 8 mins.

6. Take the fish out into the plate. Keep heating the pan to reduce sauce to the consistency you want.

7. Pour sauce over fish and garnish with shredded spring onion.

You can also heat another 2 tablespoon oil and pour over spring onion and enjoy the sizzling.

https://flic.kr/p/24AWrhz

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Cook One Fish In Two Ways

Compared to fried fish in western countries, Chinese people always choose to cook fish in different ways, like fish soup, braised fish in brown sauce, or steamed fish.
I bought this sea bass from supermarket. Yet, I found it too big and we didn’t have a pan big enough to cook it. So I decided to divided it into two parts. Fish head for the soup. Fish body and tail for the braised one.


Fish head soup is very popular in China, since many people think this dish is very good for health. Nutritious elements in fish will be contained in the soup.

It is not difficult to make fish soup.

1. Heat the oil in the pan, and fry two sides of the fish head. When the color turns a little brown, pour in the hot water. 

2. Add two or three ginger slices, salt and green onion.

3. Cook the soup with low heat. The longer you cook it, the whiter will the soup color become.

4. When the soup color turns milky white, add some tofu ( better be silken tofu) slices into it.

5. Cook for another 20 minutes or so. 


I really think silken tofu is a perfect match to fish soup.

Braised fish in brown sauce
This dish can be done while fish soup on the stove.
1. Similar to the soup above. Heat the oil in the pan, and fry two sides of the fish body. When the color turns a little brown, add in a little light soy sauce, dark soy sauce (light soy sauce contains salt, dark soy sauce is for dark color) and sugar.

2. Make the fish coated with sugar soy sauce. And pour in hot water.

3. Put in some ginger slices. Cover the pan with lid.

4. When the sauce in the pan become less than 1/4. Take the fish out.

5. Keep hearing the sauce in the pan until it becomes very condensed. And pour it onto the fish.


Dip the fish with sauce before put it into mouth. It really tastes great.