Braised Sweet Sour Fish Maw (Ko Rue Foo Chow Style)

 

Having grown up in Ayer Tawar, Sitiawan (Perak), where the majority of the Chinese in Manjung are Foo Chows or Hock Chews, our lifestyle, more or less has been influenced by the Foo Chows, no doubt I am from a Hokkien family.  Foo Chow style sweet sour fish maw is a must during Chinese New Year and it is no doubt one of the best dishes we love.   Initially, my hubby could not get used to the sweet sour dish.  He used to be curious why most of the dishes in Manjung's restaurants are sweet and sour; be it fish maw, sea cucumber, etc.  After so many years, he has got used to it and in fact quite like the sweet sour fish maw.  As far as I know, only the Foo Chow style fish maw is cooked sweet and sour.  Do correct me if I am wrong.

What is fish maw?  Fish Maw 花膠/鱼鳔 is an internal gas-filled organ found in most fish and is commonly used in Chinese cooking. Fish maw is believed to be an excellent source of collagen. Dried fish maw is hard, solid, hollow, translucent and must be soaked to soften before cook. Some may prefer to deep-fried it or boiled it in water with ginger and spring onions to get rid of the fishy smell. When cooked, it has soft texture.

We cooked this Sweet Sour Fish Maw on the 3rd day of the Chinese New Year.

Ingredients :

(A)

- 1 pack of fish maw (deep fried, soaked in water, rinsed and squeezed out the water and tear into pieces)

- 1 bowl of fresh bamboo shoot (finely sliced)

-  1/2 bowl of shredded carrot

-  1 bowl of mixed minced pork and small shrimps

-  few dried mushrooms (soaked and finely sliced)

- 1 can of button mushroom (washed and sliced)

- 4 cloves garlic (finely chopped)

- 1 thumb sized ginger (finely chopped)

 (B)

- White vinegar and/or plum sauce (to taste)
- Tomato sauce (to taste) I used about 1 bottle!
- Garlic chili sauce (to taste) I used  1/2 bottle of Kampong Koh chili sauce

- sugar to taste

- soy sauce to taste

- salt to taste

(C)
-  2 eggs (beaten)
- cornstarch with water for thickening

- cooking oil

- water

Method :

1)  Heat oil in a wok or pot and saute garlic and ginger until aromatic.  

2)  Stir in  minced meat and shrimps until fragrant.

3)  Add the rest of the ingredients (A).  

4)  Stir and mix well. Add enough water.  Let it simmer  until all the ingredients are cooked.

5)  Add ingredients (B) according to taste.  For those who like the dish to be spicier and more sour, add extra garlic chili sauce and white vinegar or plum sauce.

6) Keep stirring while adding the beaten egg and thicken the gravy with constarch.

7)  Serve hot.

* I am submitting this post to Chinese New Year Delights 2013 hosted by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover *

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