Auntie YC had her holiday in Sabah. She bought us some fresh seafood. One of the seafood was the expensive “Hoi Lee” which cost RM50.60 (RM110 per kg) for a medium size fish.

Over the weekend, Jared wanted to eat steam fish the restaurant style, not the usual steam fish style that Moch prepared at home. Hubby did not want to eat out. But this is expensive fish and I did not wish to steam it wrongly and wasted such an expensive fish.

I googled on internet and after reading a few posts on fish steaming, I decided to take a risk and steam the expensive fish at home.

Ingredients:

• 1 fresh fish (grouper, sea bass, etc), less than a kg weight
• 1/4 cup fine fresh ginger strips
• 1/4 cup fine spring onion strips
• A few sprigs of fresh coriander leaves

Seasoning sauce:

• 4 tbsp light soy sauce (good quality)
• 2/3 cup of chicken stock (1 tsp of chicken stock powder with 2/3 cup of hot water). We use our chicken stock that we prepared for our soup the same night
• 1 tsp of castor/rock sugar
• 4 tbsp oil

Method:

1. If the fish is thick, cut a few strips on the meat or butterfly it.
2. Lay the fish on a heat-proof or plate suitable for steaming, such as a metal plate.
3. Scatter ginger strips over the fish, in between and some under the fish.
4. Put sufficient water into wok and boil it.
5. When water is boiling, put in the fish. Steam the fish at high heat for 10 minutes (10 mins for 600g fish and add 2 mins for every 200g).
6. While the fish is steaming, prepare seasoning sauce. Mix hot chicken stock with sugar, light soy sauce and stir until sugar is all dissolved. If using chicken powder, mix it with hot water, sugar and light soy sauce. Do this step just before the fish is cooked so that the sauce is hot.
7. Use a fork or chopstick to dig into the thickest part of the fish (usually middle of the body) and lift up the flesh. If it comes clean off the bone easily, the fish is done. If not, leave it to steam for another minute or so and check again. Do not overcook, as fish will still cook even it is taken off the heat.
8. When the fish is cooked, carefully take it out from the wok and pour away the liquid or transfer the fish into a new plate.
9. Pour the seasoning sauce which should still be hot all over the fish.
10. Quickly heat up oil until smoking (be careful the oil is very hot). Pour the hot oil all over the fish. You will hear sizzling sound once the hot oil.
11. Garnish with ginger strips, lots of spring onions and coriander.
12. Serve the fish hot.

We should reduce the spring onion and corriander leaves garnishing on top of the fish. Probably because we have spice garden at home and can get them easily.

Moch and I were happy with the results of our first steam fish Hong Kong style. Jared extremely loved the fish, especially the sauce which was sweet and the freshness taste of the fish. He gave us 11 out of 10 marks. We asked him “11 out of 10?” and he said “Yes. The fish is very nice, nicer than restaurant”. Hubby gave 8 marks. Of course, the fish is not as good as the way Unique Seafood does but it is not far different from it.

I would summarise below the learning tips from this fish steaming:

1. Put in fish for steaming only after water is boiling.
2. Cook at medium high heat
3. Drain off all the juices from the steamed fish to avoid the fishy smell and taste
4. Use good quality soya sauce
5. If the plate is too hot for you to pour away the steamed fish liquid or if you wish to present the fish in a nicer and presentable way, transfer the fish instead to a nicer serving plate.