|
|
| Chinese
Recipes |
Ham Yue or
Salty Fish
|
|
Ham Yue is a general name for cooking
small fish between 2 and 4 inches long, and very
slender. The name means 'Salt Fish' in Cantonese
because they naturally taste a little salty when
cooked. They are very similar in virtually all
respects to British Whitebait.
|
When purchasing, have a good look around the
wet market and choose ones that are in a tank
and swimming around if possible. You probably
want to buy around 1lb of them, and Cantonese
will probably sell them by the 'Catty', which
is a traditional measure fractionally over this
weight (1.12 lbs).
If your options are limited to ones on a counter,
then smell them to make sure they are fresh. All
fish should be fresh that morning, so it pays
to get to the wet market for 7am to ensure best
quality. These (Like Whitebait) are not descaled,
gutted, or have anything else done by way of preparation.
You eat them whole. |
 |
|
|
Chinese Recipe 1
The normal way to cook these is to wash them under water
and then let them marinade in a little soy sauce for
roughly 20 minutes (see picture right above). When you
are ready to cook, simply pour the contents as shown
into a hot wok with a little oil, and stir fry for several
minutes, tossing fairly often. The oil could have either
or both a clove of garlic and a little freshly diced
ginger, but the taste is perhaps better without. Cook
until they begin to turn brown and crispy and immediately
remove from the heat, plate, and serve. A small condiment
bowl of soy sauce is usually provided at table for dipping
as you like.
Chinese Recipe 2
There is a slight variation to the above which you will
find in many restaurants.
In this version you simply put the small fish out after
washing and quickly dry them. It is important this is
natural drainage and perhaps gentle shaking simply to
remove the excess wash water. Dust with a little flour
and toss in a bowl with your fingers. The flour will
adhere to the fish. Add one tablespoon of good quality
oil (High temperature) to the wok and throw in the dish,
stirring frequently. They will quickly crisp, so be
very careful to remove them early, otherwise some may
burn or reduce to bones. A couple of minutes should
do it. Remove and drain immediately to ensure they remain
crisp. Serve to table as soon as any excess oil has
been removed.
This dish, or either in fact; can benefit from additional
ingredients, but this is up to you. Common additions
to the flour are a very little of any from: salt, pepper,
cayenne pepper, garlic salt. I recommend a hint of curry
powder for something amazing! To the oil you can add
any from: diced ginger, garlic, chopped chilli. Vary
the soy sauce dip by adding a little wasabi or sliced
chilli. You would be unwise to add everything mentioned
above to a single dish - we are looking for subtle hints
of flavour. |
|
This information is as supplied by ourselves, and ably
supported by our friends and various internet portals. |
|
| Search
this Website |
|
|
| Descriptions |
|
|
