Steam Sea Perch (Siakap) in Sweet and Sour Soya Sauce

This is a new recipe I made myself because I didn't buy the plum sauce I normally use to cook the steamed fish.

Ingredients:

1 Ikan Siakap or Sea Perch.You can use any other fish like Spanish mackerel, Sole, Grouper or Red Snapper.

The fish is descaled, gutted and washed.Both sides are slitted with 3 slits.Season with salt, pepper and a bit of thin soya sauce.Leave to marinate for 1 hour in the fridge.

Prepare the steamer.If you don't have a steamer, you can steam in a wok by placing the fish in a plate placed on a cup immersed in water in the wok.A pot cover is used to cover the fish while steaming.

You can also use the oven.Place the fish in a metal container on a rack.The rack below it is filled with water.You steam the fish between 15 to 30 minutes or until cooked.

While the fish is cooking, prepare the sauce as follows:

Cut and slice finely 1 onion, 5 cloves garlic and 3 cm ginger.Heat a little oil in a wok and fry the onions, garlic and ginger till fragrant.Add thin soya sauce, sweet soya sauce,10 pieces of dried Chinese plums(asam boi) and 2 tablespoon tapioca starch mixed in water.Stir.Add more water if sauce is too thick.Add 1 teaspoon oyster sauce.You don't need to add sugar or salt.

For garnishing, you may add any or a mix of the following to the sauce:sliced spring onions,carrot strips,cut cilantro, parsley,celery, fresh green and red chillies or sliced capsicums.

Remove the fish from the oven once it is cooked and place in an oval slightly deep dish.Pour the sauce over the fish and serve with white rice.

To prepare from bottled Chinese plum sauce,the sauce is made as follows:

The fish is prepared as above.To prepare the sauce,the onions,garlic and ginger are similarly fried in a little oil.Add ground black pepper,and add half bottle of the plum sauce.If you like a hotter sauce, you can add a little chili paste instead of black pepper.Garnish as above.