Vinegar-Braised White Cod (Cu Liu Bai Xue Yu)

Why people make this dish

Cooking fish with vinegar is one of those clever old techniques that turns out to have a solid nutritional rationale: the mild acidity helps dissolve calcium from the fish bones into the cooking liquid, making more of it available to the body. Nourilo came across white cod at the morning fish stall and was reminded of a vinegar-braised silver cod dish he had enjoyed at a well-known restaurant — the restaurant version was on the sweet side, so he put together his own, lighter take at home. White cod (bai xue yu) is a deep-sea fish prized for its silky, delicate texture, which makes it ideal for a quick pan-braise where you do not want the flesh to toughen. The addition of cloud ear fungus and sweet peppers rounds out the colour and gives a pleasant contrast of textures.

Method

1. Soak the dried cloud ear fungus in cold water until fully softened. Remove the tough stems and set aside.
2. Cut the red and yellow peppers into small pieces. Mince the ginger. Chop the parsley or spring onion.
3. Cut the white cod into pieces and marinate briefly with a pinch of white pepper, a splash of rice wine, and a small amount of cornstarch.
4. Heat a small amount of oil in a wok or frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the ginger and stir until fragrant. Add the cod pieces and pan-fry lightly on each side until just golden. Remove and set aside.
5. In the same pan, add the cloud ear fungus and sweet peppers and stir-fry until fragrant and slightly softened.
6. Add the combined sauce ingredients (rice vinegar, sugar, salt, soy sauce, pepper, and a little water). Bring to a simmer.
7. Return the fish pieces to the pan. Allow the sauce to bubble and coat the fish.
8. Scatter over the chopped parsley or spring onion and serve immediately.

Nourilo’s Tips

Add the vinegar toward the end of cooking, or just before you add the fish back to the sauce — this preserves the fragrant aroma of the vinegar, which dissipates quickly with prolonged heat. Good-quality pure rice vinegar (or aged Shanxi chen cu if you can find it) makes a noticeable difference to the depth of flavour.