Suan Cai Yu (Fish with Sichuan Pickled Mustard Greens)

Ingredients

• 700g grass carp, sea bass or basa fillet, skinned
• 1 egg white
• 1 tbsp potato starch
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 300g Sichuan pickled mustard greens
• 60g pickled chillies, chopped
• 30g ginger, finely chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, sliced
• 3 tbsp rapeseed oil
• 1 litre chicken stock or hot water
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 1 tsp ground white pepper
• 20 dried facing-heaven chillies
• 1 tbsp whole Sichuan pepper
• 80ml rapeseed oil, for finishing
• 3 spring onions, sliced
• 1 small bunch coriander

Before you cook

• Hold your knife at a shallow angle and slice the fish into pieces about 4mm thick.
• Rinse the fish slices in cold water until the water runs clear, then squeeze them gently dry.
• Mix the fish with the salt, Shaoxing wine, egg white and potato starch until every slice feels slippery, then leave it for 15 minutes.
• Rinse the pickled mustard greens under cold water, squeeze them out and slice them thinly.

Steps

1. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a wok over medium heat.
2. Fry the ginger, garlic and pickled chillies for 1 minute, until fragrant.
3. Add the pickled mustard greens and stir-fry them for 4 minutes to drive off their raw edge.
4. Pour in the stock and add the sugar and white pepper.
5. Bring the broth to the boil and let it bubble for 8 minutes, so the pickle flavour moves into the liquid.
6. Taste the broth and add salt only if the pickle has not made it salty enough.
7. Lift the mustard greens out with a slotted spoon and spread them across a deep serving bowl.
8. Turn the broth down until it is barely trembling.
9. Slide the fish slices in one at a time so they do not stick together.
10. Poach the fish for 90 seconds without stirring, until the slices turn opaque and curl.
11. Lift the fish out and lay it over the mustard greens.
12. Pour the hot broth over the fish until it is just submerged.
13. Scatter the dried chillies, whole Sichuan pepper and spring onions across the surface.
14. Heat the 80ml of oil in a small pan until it just begins to smoke.
15. Pour the oil over the chillies in one steady stream so the whole bowl hisses.
16. Finish with coriander and serve at once with steamed rice.