Fish Fillet in Wine Rice Sauce

Cooking with wine is a time-honored tradition in Asian cuisines. Wine is used to enrich a sauce to diminish the fishiness of seafood, to lighten the heaviness of meat, and to anchor the delicate flavors of vegetables. Other cuisines use dry sherry, red wine, or white wine. China uses cooking wine from Shaohsing city, which very much resembles dry sherry in color and taste. Besides shaohsing wine, wine rice is another wine very commonly used cooking wine in Southeast Asia. Almost every dish created in Chinese restaurants always use the velvet coating technique to enhance the color and flavors of the dishes. As the term velveting implies, the coating is white and fluffy, and the meat or seafood is as soft as velvet. There are two kinds of velveting the food – one uses oil and the other uses water. I want to introduce the master recipe for velveting seafood or meat, and this will be the beginning of making any delicious and elegant stir-fried Chinese food dishes at home.

Ingredients:
1 lb. fillets of tilapia or flounder
Velvet Coating:
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbs dry sherry
1/4 tsp white pepper
1 egg white, well beaten
1 1/2 tbs cornstarch
1 tbs oil
Vegetables:
2 Shitake sliced mushrooms (presoaked)
1 clove garlic
1 tbs slices of peeled ginger
1/4 cup sweet pea (frozen)
1/4 cup sliced white onions
2 green onions, cut into 2 inch lengths
Wine rice sauce:
1 cup wine rice*(sweet wine made with sweet sticky rice)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tbs cornstarch
1 cup chicken broth or water

Directions:
In a bowl, combine the velvet coating mixture and mix well

Halve each fillet lengthwise. Cut each half crosswise into 2-inch pieces.

Put these in the velvet coating bowl, and mix well. Let the fish set, covered and refrigerated, for at least 2 hours. The longer it sets, the smoother it will be.

The velveting technique:
Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in large pot. Turn heat down to maintain a gentle simmer.

Then give the fish a few gentle stirs and pour them into the water, stirring gently to separate the pieces. Turn heat to medium high.

 When the water comes to a boil in about 2 minutes, drain the fish by pouring into a colander. The fish is white and twisting. It is ready for the wine sauce. Don't do the velveting in advance
In another bowl, combine the wine rice sauce and stir until dissolved.

The wine sauce should not be mixed in advance just a few minutes before cooking time. Prepare the vegetables ingredients and have it ready before cooking.

The stir frying technique:
Heat a large, heavy skillet over high heat until hot. Add 2 tbs oil, swirl, and heat for 30 seconds.

 Add garlic and ginger and stir rapidly a few times.

Turn heat to medium and then add the Shitake mushrooms, tossing them vigorously for 30 seconds.

Turn heat to low, give the wine rice sauce a big stir, and pour it slowly into a pan. Stir in a circular motion until the sauce is smooth and thickened.

Add frozen peas. Push the mushrooms to the side and add the fish in a single layer.

Tilt the pan, and baste the fish. Turn the pieces quickly but gently. Remove to a serving platter with a spatula; Add green onions. Pour sauce and all vegetables on top.

*Sake can be used if sweet wine rice is not available. Add more sugar into the sake because it has a stronger taste.