Sweet Sour Spicy Fried Fish
Crispy fish and tofu, drenched in 3 flavoured sauce, this Thai recipe is a simple yet delicious fried fish dish that takes about 30 minutes to cook, but it’s absolutely worth it! It’s a sweet, sour and spicy gravy that envelops deep-fried fish and tofu, coated with crispy flour and raw red onions for a refreshing crunch.
The chilli paste is made from scratch, consisting of mildly spicy red chilli, garlic and cilantro roots. This helps us to control the spicy level of the dish (which is just subtly spicy – so that kids can enjoy it too!). The sourness comes from tamarind juice, which adds a powerful but mellow tanginess to the sauce. The perfect balance of sweetness, sourness and spiciness in one sauce.
Serves 4 adults.
Ingredients
White-fleshed fish – for this recipe, I’m using silver pomfret. The fish is scored in a criss-cross manner, creating a diamond-shaped pattern. This makes the fish crispier and cooks it faster. Any white-fleshed fish can be used as well, such as tilapia, or catfish.
Fried tofu, which is cut into small cubes for extra protein. Make sure to used the fried tofu, not silken tofu or firm tofu; as the texture of fried tofu is the firmness of the three.
Salt, to taste.
Tapioca flour, to make the flour slurry. It thickens the sweet, sour and spicy sauce so that it is enjoyable with rice.
Crispy flour, which I made from scratch. Adding this flour to the tofu and fish before frying accomplishes 2 things; it absorbs excess moisture from the surface of the fish and tofu, which in turn, reduces the oil splashes. The other is that the flour creates a crispy layer, which allows the sweet-sour gravy to better cling to the fish and tofu. You can also use Gogi tempura flour, or any tempura flour, if preferred.
Water, both to dissolve the tapioca flour for flour slurry, and to cook the sweet-sour and spicy sauce.
Red Chillies for a bright red colour and sweetness to the sauce. I used fresh chilli that is not very spicy, which is similar to cayenne peppers.
Garlic, for its allicin properties in our homemade chilli paste.
Cilantro, for a lovely pop of bright green and a herbal taste to the sauce. The roots and stalks are separated; so the roots can be used in the chilli paste, while the stalks are sprinkled in the gravy and as a garnishing.
Cooking oil, to deep fry the tofu and fish. A little of the cooking oil from frying the fish and tofu was used to cook the chilli sauce as well.
Sugar, to mellow the spiciness from the chillies.
Red onions, which add a lovely crunchiness to the Sweet Sour Spicy Fried Fish.
Concentrated tamarind juice was used to add some tangy sourness to the gravy.
Maggi-brand chilli sauce, although any chilli sauce brand works as well. The chilli sauce adds a bright red colour, sweetness and a mild spicy flavour to the dish.
Steps
Here are the brief steps to make Sweet Sour Spicy Fried Fish:
- Make the flour slurry.
- Prepare the ingredients.
- Coat the tofu and fish with flour.
- Deep fry the tofu.
- Deep fry the fish.
- Plate the fish, tofu and red onions.
- Make the sweet, sour and spicy sauce.
- Pour the sauce over the fish & garnish with cilantro leaves.
Tips
- Coating the tofu and fish with crispy flour removes excess moisture, which reduces the amount of oil splashes when deep-frying; and adds more surface area for the sauce to stick to it later.
- If using a regular blender, add 15ml of water to ease the blending of the chilli paste.
- Submerge a pair of wooden cooking chopsticks into the oil to check if it is ready for deep-frying. If bubbles form at the tip, the oil is ready.
- Try not to forcefully move the fish if it is stuck to the bottom of the pan when deep-frying. When the bottom is well-cooked, it will separate from the pan on its own.
- Pushing hot oil over the un-submerged side of the fish seals in the juices and taste of the fish. If the fish is fully submerged, the hot oil does not need to be pushed over the fish.
- When tasting, the sauce should be sweet, sour and slightly spicy.
- Make sure to watch the full video to see how I made it exactly!
Storage Instructions
This dish is best served immediately after cooking. As deep-fried food tends to become less crisp as time passes, this dish is no exception. In fact, the fish may become soggy too as the gravy is poured directly on the fish and tofu.
Additionally, it contains raw red onions that soften over time from the hot gravy. As raw onions deteriorate fairly quickly, it is not recommended to keep this dish in the fridge or freezer at all.
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- Asam Pedas Ikan – Sour Spicy Fish in Gravy
- Appetising Steamed Fish Fillets with Lime
Sweet Sour Spicy Fried Fish
Equipment
- Sharp Kitchen Knife
- Chopping Board
- Stainless Steel Pan
- Turner
- Non-Stick Frying Pan
- Hand Blender
- Strainer
Ingredients
Flour Slurry
- 1 tsp tapioca flour
- 25 ml water
Sweet Sour Spicy Sauce
- 1 cilantro root
- 1 cilantro stalk, chopped finely
- 2 red chilli, chopped
- 25 g garlic, peeled & cut to half
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp Maggi chilli sauce
- 50 ml tamarind juice, concentrated
- 170 ml water
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
- 40 g red onion, sliced
Deep Fried
- 1 block firm tofu, cut to cubes
- 370 g silver pomfret, scored
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp crispy flour
- 500 ml cooking oil
Instructions
- Make the flour slurry. Stir the tapioca flour and 25ml of water until well-combined.
- Prepare the herbs. Separate the cilantro root from the stalk, and set it aside. Chop the cilantro stalks finely and set aside on a different plate.
- Cut the red chilli and set them with the cilantro roots. Cut the garlic into half and set them with the chilli.
- Cut the tofu into small cubes. Sprinkle some crispy flour and mix for them to absorb excess moisture. Set them aside.
- Score the white pomfret fish. Make 3-4 scores in one direction, about 1.5cm apart, on one side of the fish, and repeat with another 3-4 scores across them. Turn the fish, and repeat on the other side. Marinate thoroughly with 1 tsp of salt – in all the scores and the stomach. Lastly, generously coat the fish with crispy flour on both sides. Set it aside.
- Heat 500ml of cooking oil in a stainless steel pan over medium heat for 8 minutes, or until ready for deep-frying.
- Meanwhile, make the chilli paste. Blend the cilantro root, cut chilli and garlic in a hand blender until well-combined and even in colour. Set it aside.
- When the oil is ready for deep-frying, carefully add the tofu cubes and fry for 2 minutes. Stir them occasionally to separate them to prevent them from getting stuck to each other. After 2 minutes, remove them with a strainer, and set aside on a heat-resistant plate.
- Next, carefully add the fish to the hot oil. As less oil is used, only the submerged part of the fish is cooked at a time. Use the turner to gently push the hot oil over the un-submerged side of the fish. Cook the fish for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, check the fish for crispiness and doneness. Then, flip the fish carefully. Let it fry for 4-5 minutes on the other side. Be sure to submerge the tail part of the fish into the hot oil as well.
- After another 5 minutes, the fish should be well-cooked and crispy. Remove from the hot oil with a strainer, and switch off the heat. Rest it on a serving plate. Sprinkle all the fried tofu and sliced red onions all around the fish and leave aside.
- Next, make the sweet, sour and spicy sauce. Add 2 tbsp of cooking oil from frying the fish into a non-stick pan. Switch on the heat to medium.
- Add the blended chilli paste, salt, sugar and Maggi chilli sauce to the pan. Stir to mix for about 2 minutes, or until cooked and very fragrant.
- Add concentrated tamarind juice and water to the mixture and stir to combine, until it becomes a rolling boil. Then, taste and adjust as preferred.
- Add in the flour slurry, stirring immediately until well combined. Switch off the heat. Sprinkle most of the chopped cilantro, leaving some aside for garnishing. Stir until combined.
- Pour the sweet, sour and spicy sauce all over the fish, tofu and red onions. Lastly, garnish with the rest of the cilantro and serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- Coating the tofu and fish with crispy flour removes excess moisture, which reduces the amount of oil splashes when deep-frying; and adds more surface area for the sauce to stick to it later.
- If using a regular blender, add 15ml of water to ease the blending of the chilli paste.
- Submerge a pair of wooden cooking chopsticks into the oil to check if it is ready for deep-frying. If bubbles form at the tip, the oil is ready.
- Try not to forcefully move the fish if it is stuck to the bottom of the pan when deep-frying. When the bottom is well-cooked, it will separate from the pan on its own.
- Pushing hot oil over the un-submerged side of the fish seals in the juices and taste of the fish. If the fish is fully submerged, the hot oil does not need to be pushed over the fish.
- When tasting, the sauce should be sweet, sour and slightly spicy.
- Make sure to watch the video to see exactly how I made it!