Buddha's Hand Fish Belly (Foshou Dudang)
A classic Shanghai dish, the fish belly is crispy outside and tender inside, coated in a sweet and sour sauce, shaped like Buddha's hand, symbolizing good fortune.
Ingredients
16 items- Grass carp belly flaps (or black carp belly) 500g
- Ginger 3 slices
- Scallions 2 sections
- Salt 1 tsp
- Cooking wine 1 tbsp
- Flour 50g
- Cornstarch 50g
- Baking powder 1/2 tsp
- Oil for deep frying
- Light soy sauce 2 tbsp
- Chinese black vinegar 3 tbsp
- Sugar 4 tbsp
- Ketchup 1 tbsp
- Water starch 1 tbsp starch + 2 tbsp water
- Chopped scallions 1 tbsp
- Minced ginger 1 tsp
Nutrition
Steps （8 steps）
Cut the fish belly into 4cm long, 3cm wide rectangular pieces. Score the meat side every 0.5cm deep to the skin (not cutting through) to form Buddha's hand shape.
Place fish pieces in a bowl, add salt, cooking wine, ginger slices, and scallion sections. Mix well and marinate for 15 minutes to remove fishiness.
In another bowl, mix flour, cornstarch, and baking powder. Gradually add water to form a smooth batter. Let rest for 10 minutes.
Heat oil in a wok over medium heat to 180°C (350°F). Coat each fish piece in batter and fry one by one for 3-4 minutes until lightly golden and set. Remove.
Increase heat to high and raise oil temperature to 200°C (400°F). Fry all fish pieces again for 30 seconds to 1 minute until golden and crispy. Drain.
Leave a little oil in the wok, sauté minced ginger and scallions over low heat. Add soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and water, then bring to a boil over medium heat.
Stir in ketchup, then add water starch to thicken the sauce until it coats the back of a spoon. Drizzle a little hot oil to brighten.
Keep heat high, add the fried fish pieces, quickly stir-fry for about 10 seconds to coat evenly with sauce. Sprinkle with chopped scallions and serve.
Tips
Adding baking powder and resting the batter makes the crust crispier; double-frying is key for crispy exterior and tender interior; the sauce ratio can be adjusted; recommended sugar to vinegar ratio 3:2; this recipe is slightly sweet.
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