Ikan Tempera (Nyonya Sweet & Sour Fish)
Ikan Tempera is the Nyonya version of sweet & sour fish.
Anything fried and topped with a sweet & sour sauce is good, right?
Ikan Tempera (Nyonya Sweet & Sour Fish)
Ikan Tempera is a Nyonya recipe. Fish is pan-fried till golden brown, then braised briefly in a sweet and sour sauce. You can use any whole or thickly sliced white fish.
Ingredients
- 150 g shallots
- 1 red chilli
- 1 green chilli
- 150 g tomato wedges
- 5 tsp sugar
- 3 tbsp light soya sauce
- ½ tsp dark soya sauce
- 3 tbsp Chinese white rice vinegar
- 500 g pomfret (2 small fish) or any white fish (such as ikan tinggiri batang aka Spanish mackerel) steaks cut about 3 cm thick
- ¼ tsp salt
- 5 tbsp vegetable oil
- 300 ml water
Instructions
- Peel and wash shallots. Cut crosswise 3 mm thick.150 g shallots
- Wash green and red chillies. Cut diagonally 4 mm thick.1 red chilli, 1 green chilli
- Wash tomato. Cut into bite-size wedges.150 g tomato wedges
- Stir sugar with light soya sauce, dark soya sauce and vinegar till dissolved.5 tsp sugar, 3 tbsp light soya sauce, ½ tsp dark soya sauce, 3 tbsp Chinese white rice vinegar
- Wash fish and dry with paper towels. Sprinkle evenly with salt.500 g pomfret (2 small fish), ¼ tsp salt
- Pan-fry fish in hot oil over medium-high heat till golden brown. Transfer to a plate.5 tbsp vegetable oil
- Remove oil from wok, leaving about 2½ tbsp. Stir-fry shallots till light brown. Add chillies and tomato. Stir-fry till soft.
- Return fried fish to pan/wok. Drizzle with half of soya sauce mixture. Let fish sizzle for a few seconds. Flip. Repeat drizzling and sizzling. Add water and bring to a boil.300 ml water
- Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer gently, drizzling top of fish with the sauce from time to time, till fish is saturated and flavourful, about 3 minutes.
- Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Sauce should be full-bodied, mildly sour and subtly sweet. Serve hot or at room temperature with plain rice or porridge.
