Sweet & Sour Tilapia

A Great Summer Recipe

Sweet & Sour Tilapia 

Ingredients :

750 g. of red tilapia fillets

salt and pepper

flour

a carrot, peeled and cut into thin rings

about a cup and a half of snow peas, ends and sides trimmed

1 large red bell pepper, cored and diced

a large white onion or 2 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced

half a head of garlic, peeled and crushed

a small piece of ginger (about the size of your thumb), cut into thin strips

3-4 c. of cooking oil

For the sweet and sour sauce :

1 tbsp. of tomato paste
vinegar (lemon or kalamansi juice tastes better and is more aromatic)
water
sugar
salt
pepper
corn starch

Cooking procedure :

Heat the cooking oil in frying pan (a wok is ideal).

Cut the tilapia fillets into 2-inch pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour, shaking off the excess, and fry in batches (do not over crowd the pan) in very hot oil until crisp and golden. Drain on absorbent paper towels.

Mix together all the ingredients for the sweet and sour sauce. Go by your preference. Some like it more sour than sweet; others, just the opposite. Normally, you will need about a teaspoonful of starch for every 3/4 c. of water for a rather thick sauce. Of course, that’s not a hard and fast rule since the quality of commercial starch varies.

Pour off the cooking oil until only about 2 tablespoonfuls remain. Reheat. Stir fry the carrot and snow peas for about 30 seconds. Add the rest of the vegetables and stir fry for another 30 seconds. Return the fish fillets to the pan. Pour in the sweet and sour sauce and cook, stirring, until thick and clear.

Serve at once with hot rice.