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Steamed Fish with Chopped Chili and Preserved Radish/ Chai Poh – Codfish is steamed and topped with sweet and crunchy preserved radish and chili and doused in sweet and savory sauce. This steamed fish with chai poh will become your weekly staple.
Steamed Fish with Chopped Chili and Preserved Radish/ Chai Poh
If it’s not obvious already, I love preserved radish (chai poh). This is the 3rd recipe using chai poh I’m sharing in the past two weeks 🙂 First the Chai Poh Neng (Omelet) and then Stir-fried Chai Poh with Pork Belly. Now this steamed fish with chopped chili and preserved radish to add to the chai poh collection 🙂
STEAMED FISH WITH CHOPPED CHILI AND PRESERVED RADISH/CHAI POH
I use codfish in this recipe. I think it’s perfect for this recipe because codfish is mild in taste and hold its shape nicely for presentation too. The codfish is like a blank canvas and it pairs well with the sweet topping and sweet-savory sauce.
WHAT OTHER FISH I CAN USE FOR THIS RECIPE?
I feel like white flesh fish is more suitable for this recipe. You can use whole fish instead of fillet too. You can use grouper, pomfret, seabass, halibut, threadfin (ngo her)
HOW TO PREPARE A PERFECT STEAMED FISH DISH?
1. Prepare the chai poh topping first
The topping is not temperature sensitive and so I suggest to prepare this first or even one day before if you want to save time
2. Prepare the sauce while fish is steaming
By the time the fish is done steaming, the sauce is ready too
3. Steam the fish last
As we don’t want to overcook the fish or cook the fish first and then it gets cold while you prepare other things, get everything else ready and cook those first and steam the fish only when you are ready to serve them. It only takes 8 minutes to steam
HOW TO MAKE STEAMED FISH WITH CHOPPED CHILI AND PRESERVED RADISH/CHAI POH IN A NUTSHELL
1. Soak chai poh to get rid of extra saltiness
2. Stir fry chai poh with chili and seasoning
3. Steam the fish for about 8 minutes
4. Prepare the sauce while the fish is steaming, by bringing it to a gentle simmer and cook until slightly thickened
5. Serve: Top the fish with chai poh topping and then drizzle with sauce and garnish with cilantro leaves
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Steamed Fish with Chopped Chili and Preserved Radish/ Chai Poh
Ingredients
- 500 gr cod fish fillet Other suitable fishes are sea bass, pomfret, kurau
Chai poh topping:
- 200 gr sweet preserved radish/chai poh see notes
- 2-3 red chilies
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp dark soy sauce
Sauce:
- 150 ml water
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tsp corn starch
Garnish:
- Fresh coriander leaves
Instructions
- Soak chai poh for 3 minutes. Squeeze dry and chop finely. Chop red chilies, garlic, and coriander leaves. Set aside
Prepare chai poh topping:
- Preheat a pan/skillet. Add cooking oil. Stir fry garlic and chili for about 10 seconds. Add chai poh, sugar, and soy sauce and stir fry for about 5 minutes. Have a taste. It should be sweet, spicy, and a bit salty. Add more salt or sugar to your taste.
Prepare the sauce:
- Mix all the ingredients for sauce in a bowl. Make sure the corn starch dissolves. Pour in a sauce pan and bring to a gentle simmer and cook until the sauce is slightly thickened
Steam the fish:
- Rinse fish and pat dry with an absorbent paper towel. Place on a steaming dish and steam for about 8 minutes
Serving:
- Place the fish on serving platter. Top with chai poh mixture. Drizzle over the sauce. Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve immediately
2 comments
I love you blog – hands down. I have cooked quite a few of your recipes and always enjoyed them. And every time I then go back to leave a comment I find myself enjoying myself with drooling over recipe after recipe. I have a massive collection of your recipes that are still on my to-cook list 🙂 Thank you so much for taking all the trouble to share these recipe!
Thank you for your kind words Afra!