Spring Health-Preserving Home Cooking
Winter Bamboo Shoots with Fish Fillets
Main Ingredients: One piece of middle section of mandarin fish, one winter bamboo shoot, and适量 dried mushrooms.
Seasonings: One egg (use only the egg white), cooking oil, cooking wine, salt, monosodium glutamate (MSG), cornstarch, and water starch, all in appropriate amounts.
Preparation: Cut the fish into two halves, remove bones and skin, slice diagonally into thin pieces, place in a bowl, marinate with salt, MSG, egg white, and cornstarch, then refrigerate for about half an hour. Soak mushrooms in water, slice them thinly. Peel and slice the winter bamboo shoot, blanch in boiling water with a little salt for about 2 minutes, then transfer to cold water and soak until cool.
Place the wok on the stove, pour in suitable cooking oil, heat to three-tenths hot, then fry the marinated fish slices one by one until both sides turn pale yellow, drain and set aside. Leave a small amount of oil in the wok, heat it, add ginger threads and stir until fragrant, then add the blanched bamboo shoots and mushrooms, stir-fry for about 2 minutes, then remove and set aside. Add a little more oil to the wok, pour in cooking wine and water, add salt and MSG, bring to a boil, then add water starch to form a light sauce. Immediately return the fish slices along with bamboo shoots and mushrooms to the wok, stir well, drizzle with a few drops of sesame oil, and serve.
Commentary: This dish features white fish fillets with a fresh, savory, and crisp taste—rich in nutrition and excellent in color, aroma, and flavor, making it a delightful spring delicacy. When slicing fish, diagonal cuts are best to avoid damaging the fish muscle structure.