Nonya Beanpaste Steamed Fish

According to my dad, I am a quarter of a little Nonya. My late paternal grandmother was one and she was always in Nonya Kebaya and cooked Peranakan food. It is a pity that I have never seen her before. Thankfully, I could catch a taste of her home-cooked food through the recipes that are passed on. This Nonya Beanpaste Steamed Fish is one of her signature dishes.









Ingredients:
- 1 whole white pomfret
- 1 large chili
- 1 thumb-size ginger
- 1 large onion or 3-4 shallots
- 8 cloves of garlic
- 1 tablespoon of beanpaste
- 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon of dark soya sauce
- 2 teaspoons of sugar
- spring onions for garnishing

Procedures:
1) Blend chili, ginger, onion, garlic, beanpaste, oyster sauce, dark soya sauce and sugar into a paste.
2) In a frying pan, add oil and fry the paste until thick and fragrant.
3) Spread the beanpaste mix on the bottom and top of the fish.
4) Steam it for 20 minutes (depending on the size of the fish) until just cooked. Garnish with spring onions. Serve.

There are times when I do not have the time to blend the aromatics together into a paste. When that happens, I will just lightly fry the aromatics and place them on the fish before steaming. It taste equally good!

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