Clear-Steamed Sea Bass
Ingredients: - 1 dried shiitake mushroom - A few rectangular slices of bamboo shoot - 1 oz (30g) fresh ginger, skin on - 3 spring onions, white parts only - 1 sea bass (about 1 1/2 lbs/650g), scaled and gutted - A few rectangular slices of Spanish or Chinese cured ham, steamed briefly - 4 tbsp Shaoxing wine - 1/2 cup (100ml) clear chicken stock - 3 tbsp light soy sauce - 1/2 tsp superfine sugar - 3 tbsp fermented glutinous rice - 1 tbsp chicken oil or lard - Salt and ground white pepper For the dipping sauce: - 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger - 2 tbsp Chinkiang vinegar Steps: Cover the shiitake mushrooms in boiling water and leave to soak for at least half an hour. Bring a pan of water to the boil and blanch the bamboo shoot slices, then drain them. Smack the ginger and spring onion whites with the flat side of a Chinese cleaver or a rolling pin to loosen their fibers. Put the fish on a chopping board. Holding your knife at an angle to the b...