I love Asian cookery and sweet and sour would have to be one of my favourite Chinese dishes, but all too often sweet and sour can be destroyed with food colouring and over thickened with corn flour. I find that by caramelising the sugar until golden brown, then adding the tomatoes and the reduction of the sauce you end up with a far superior dish with a perfect balance of flavours.
Do try this dish at home because it easy to make and the end result is wonderful.
Ingredients
For the sauce;
1tblsp oil
1 onion, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 knob of ginger, peeled and chopped
250g caster sugar
125ml rice vinegar
1 can of good quality plum tomatoes, drained of all their juice and finely chopped
75ml dark soy sauce
3 large red chillies, seeded and chopped
75g pickled ginger, chopped
250ml fresh chicken stock
To complete;
500g monkfish, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 red onion, sliced
2 red peppers, deseeded and cut into cubes
2 scallions, sliced
6 baby corn, sliced
1tblsp sesame seeds
6 bok choy leaves
1tblsp sesame oil
Method;
Heat the oil over high heat, add the onions, garlic and ginger and fry until golden brown. Add the sugar and cook until golden brown and caramelised, stirring all the time. When the sugar starts to brown add the rice vinegar and cook until the vinegar lifts the sugar, be careful as the sugar will bubble and spit when the vinegar is added. Add the remaining sauce ingredients and bring to the boil, simmer for 15mins or until the sauce reduces and thickens. The sauce can be made in advance and stored in the fridge ready for use.
To complete;
Place a wok over high heat with 1blsp of rapeseed oil, season the monkfish and add to the wok, stir fry until browned. Remove from the wok and add the onion, peppers, scallion and baby corn, stir fry for 1min. add the sesame seeds and the monkfish, then add the sauce and bring to the boil, add the bok choy and the sesame oil and cook for 1min or until the monkfish is just cooked through.
Serve with steamed jasmine rice fop a complete meal.
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