Ikan Tempera is the Nyonya version of sweet & sour fish.
Anything fried and topped with a sweet & sour sauce is good, right?
IKAN TEMPERA
(NYONYA SWEET & SOUR FISH)
500 g fish
5 tbsp vegetable oil
150 g shallots, peel, wash and cut lengthwise 3 mm thick
1 red chilli, wash and cut diagonally 4 mm thick
1 green chilli, wash and cut diagonally 4 mm thick
150 g tomato (1 medium size), wash and cut into wedges 1½ cm thick
3 tbsp light soya sauce
3 tbsp Chinese white rice vinegar
½ tsp dark soya sauce
5 tsp sugar
1. Wash fish and dry with paper towels. Sprinkle evenly with salt. Pan-fry in hot oil over medium-high heat till golden brown. Transfer to plate.
2. Remove oil from wok, leaving about 2½ tbsp. Stir-fry shallots till light brown. Add chillies and tomato. Stir-fry till soft.
3. Return fried fish to pan/wok. Drizzle with half of soya sauce mixture. Let fish sizzle for a few seconds. Flip. Repeat drizzling and sizzling. Add water and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer gently, drizzling top of fish with the sauce from time to time, till fish is saturated and flavourful, about 3 minutes.
5. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Sauce should be full-bodied, mildly sour and subtly sweet. Serve hot or at room temperature.
(NYONYA SWEET & SOUR FISH)
Source: Adapted from Cooking for the President
(Recipe for 4 persons)
(Recipe for 4 persons)
500 g fish
parang (wolf herring), cut crosswise 8 cm wide; or tinggiri (batang or Spanish mackerel), cut crosswise 3 cm thick; or 2 small pomfret
¼ tsp salt5 tbsp vegetable oil
150 g shallots, peel, wash and cut lengthwise 3 mm thick
1 red chilli, wash and cut diagonally 4 mm thick
1 green chilli, wash and cut diagonally 4 mm thick
150 g tomato (1 medium size), wash and cut into wedges 1½ cm thick
3 tbsp light soya sauce
3 tbsp Chinese white rice vinegar
½ tsp dark soya sauce
5 tsp sugar
stir with vinegar, light and dark soya sauce till dissolved
300 ml water1. Wash fish and dry with paper towels. Sprinkle evenly with salt. Pan-fry in hot oil over medium-high heat till golden brown. Transfer to plate.
2. Remove oil from wok, leaving about 2½ tbsp. Stir-fry shallots till light brown. Add chillies and tomato. Stir-fry till soft.
3. Return fried fish to pan/wok. Drizzle with half of soya sauce mixture. Let fish sizzle for a few seconds. Flip. Repeat drizzling and sizzling. Add water and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer gently, drizzling top of fish with the sauce from time to time, till fish is saturated and flavourful, about 3 minutes.
5. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Sauce should be full-bodied, mildly sour and subtly sweet. Serve hot or at room temperature.