Fried Small Fish for Drinking

Taste: Sweet and Sour; Cooking Method: Fried; Time: 20 minutes; Difficulty: Moderate.

Detailed Steps for Cooking Fried Small Fish for Drinking

Bought small fish from the market, the fishmonger has already gutted the fish, remove scales and internal organs, and cleaned them.

Spread the small fish in a basket, cover with gauze to prevent dust and flies, and air-dry the surface moisture.

In a dried state, I dried them too much this time, just need the surface to be dry.

When the oil temperature is 70% hot, add the small fish. Due to the dry surface, it won’t splatter or stick together.

Use chopsticks to flip the small fish occasionally, fry for about 2-3 minutes until both sides are golden brown, then remove. After frying all, increase the oil temperature and fry again. My fish dried too much, so I didn’t do the second fry.

Prepare the sauce: pour light soy sauce, vinegar, cooking wine, and granulated sugar into the pot, boil and taste for adjustments.

When the sauce thickens slightly, add the fried small fish, toss a few times to coat each piece with the sauce.

Serve on a plate. The folding screen in the background was handmade by my father, and the landscape on it is his ink masterpiece.

Another plate!