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Chinese Lunar New Year is exactly in two weeks time. I always get really excited during this time of the year. Remember back home in Malaysia when I was young, there was no school for a week, we got to go shopping for new clothes, we could hang out with family, cousins and friends till late night, we got to play fireworks and we received red packets money (紅包) from elders and married couples. The most cheerful thing was we could eat all day long like a food marathon.

Chinese New Year literally starts on Chinese New Year Eve (除夕夜) where members of family will go home to have a reunion dinner (團圓飯) with the family, kind of like Thanksgiving or Christmas Eve. Then a complete Chinese New Year starts from the 1st day of the Lunar month in Chinese calendar and ends on the 15th day which is the Lantern Festival. It is the longest yet the most important festival for the Chinese people, that we will always prepare sumptuous and traditional dishes that signify good luck, wealth and prosperity for the coming new year.

To celebrate the upcoming Chinese New Year, our team here in Lama Kitchen will also prepare a list of Chinese New Year recipes to share with you. Please stay tune with us on Lama Kitchen. Starting with the previous post – Pork Dumpling or Jiaozi, today I’ve prepared fish, the Cantonese style steamed white pomfret. You must learn the secret recipe of steaming fish, just like the authentic Chinese restaurant cooking.

Some Chinese believes when fish is served, you must not eaten all but to leave some remainders. In Chinese phrase, nian nian you yu (年年有”餘”) means ”may there be savings every year” when translated, in which the last chinese word yu (餘) has the same pronunciation of fish, yu (魚), sounds like “may there be fish every year“. I wish everyone have a good year ahead and may all good luck be with us.

Ingredients:
For steaming:

• 1 1 -1 1/2lb. whole white pomfret with head and tail, cleaned, scaled, and gills removed
• 1/4 cup rice wine
• Some salt for rubbing
• 2 stalks scallions (cut into 2 inch strips)
• 8 slices ginger

For the sauce:

• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp rice wine
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1-2 stalks 2″ cut thinly strips scallions (for garnish)
• some cilantro (for garnish)

Cooking Method:

1. Rinse the fish inside out and rub some salt lightly all over the fish.
2. Place some ginger and scallions slices on the platter and stick some into the fish’s stomach. Set the fish on the platter, top with remaining.
3. Bring water to boil in the steamer, place the platter on top of the steamer. Cover and steam for 7 -9 minutes or until the eyes and flesh turns white.
4. Meanwhile, heat up a sauce pan with 2 tsp of sesame oil, add in sauce seasoning including the soy sauce, sugar, rice wine. Cook till boil.
5. Check fish for doneness, check if eyes turns white, flesh turns white and can be pull easily from the bones. Remove the platter from steamer and pour off steaming liquid accumulated around the fish and discard all ginger and scallions slices.
6. Pour boiled sauce over the fish. Top with scallions and cilatro. Serve immediately.