Chinese · Jiangnan · main

West Lake Vinegar Fish (Xi Hu Cu Yu)

West Lake Vinegar Fish (Xi Hu Cu Yu) reads umami 6.6, salinity 6.3 and sweetness 5.7 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Chinese · Jiangnan main, about 20 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 7.6 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 5.7 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 2.3 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 0.9 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 2.6 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 4.0 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 6.6 · Salinity 6.3 · Sweetness 5.7 · Funk & Ferment 3.9 · Allium 3.6 · Warm Spice 3.0 · Richness 2.4 · Sourness 2.2 · Bitterness 0.8 · Earthy 0.8 · Heat 0.8 · Floral 0.8 · Nutty 0.7

What's in it (13)

• grass carp — 100 g
• water — 3000 g
• shaoxing wine — 30 g
• salt — 5 g
• fresh ginger — 30 g
• chinkiang black vinegar — 44 g
• caster sugar — 38 g
• soy sauce — 30 g
• soy sauce — 5 g
• fish poaching liquid — 150 g
• potato starch — 22 g
• cold water — 44 g
• ground white pepper — 1 g

Time & effort: about 20 min (9 min active) · effort: medium

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 7.9 kcal, 0.1 g protein, 0.1 g fat, 1.7 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains seafood — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (6 steps)

1. Rub the fish with the salt and 1 tbsp of the Shaoxing wine and leave 10 minutes.
2. Bring the water to the boil in a wide pan with the remaining wine, then take it down until the surface barely shivers, around 90 C. Slide the fish in skin side up and poach 4 to 6 minutes depending on thickness. It is done the moment a chopstick meets no resistance at the thickest part. Water at a boil will tear the flesh apart, and this dish stands or falls on the poaching temperature.
3. Lift the fish onto a warm platter with two spatulas and keep it covered. Measure out 150 ml of the poaching liquid.
4. In a small pan combine the poaching liquid, vinegar, sugar, both soy sauces and white pepper and bring to the boil. Add the ginger needles and simmer 1 minute.
5. Stir the slaked starch and add it in a thin stream, whisking, until the sauce is glossy and just thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. It should flow, not sit. Pour it over the fish at once and serve. Hangzhou cooks add no oil at all to this sauce; the point is a clean, sharp sweet-sour against very plain fish.
6. Substitutions: sea bass can stand in for the grass carp.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Turkey Brine — Other
• Beef Gyudon (Japanese Beef Rice Bowl) — Japanese
• General Tso's Cauliflower — Chinese-American
• General Tso's Chicken — Chinese-American
• Agedashi Tofu (揚げ出し豆腐) — Japanese

Keep reading: what umami, salinity, sweetness mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.