香菇薑絲燴汁蒸魚 Steamed Fish in Braised Shiitake Mushrooms Sauce

我一星期煮的飯菜中，起碼有三餐都會是魚。
向來我都喜歡用最簡單的方法泡製，盡量保持魚的鮮味。

In the weekly family meals that I made over the years, I would always include fish at least 3 times a week. I used the simplest  method to cook it, trying hard to retain the unspoiled freshness and flavour of the fish.

我早告訴過大家，做女的時候我甚少進厨房；除了飯後幫手洗碗。

但每次媽媽不舒服或抱病，我都願意挽著籃子去街市買菜；回來後花很多時間給家人做一頓飯。每次的桌上，都有一尾魚。

爸媽為了鼓勵我，都說我弄得好吃，我也沾沾自喜。

後來有一天姨媽來吃飯，我破例毛遂自薦的要負責蒸魚。快要上桌時，我看見媽媽快手快脚的輕按著魚，把碟中的「魚汁」倒掉！我嚇得驚叫起來：「媽，你在做甚麼？沒有汁的魚不好吃的！」媽媽若無其事地只繼續把油放進鍋裏，和微笑著對我說：「跟魚一起蒸出來的水都帶點腥味，混著淋在魚身生葱絲的滾油，和後下的生抽裏；除了影響美味外，那豉油汁的顏色也覺混濁而沒有光亮。」

那頓飯，我吃得滿不是滋味。原來爸媽為了避免傷害我的自尊和自信，一直不敢糾正我。

到我有了孩子後，為了不想他們重蹈我的覆轍；很多時，我都預先把自己的經驗和心得告訴他們，怕他們犯錯。但年青人的執著，並不代表你說，他們就一定會接受，對與不對，還是要他們自己經歷、體驗。

但不論父母用甚麼方法來教肓自己的孩子，只要付出的是愛護、引導、扶持、放手、信任；生命中的成長路途，只好讓他們勇敢地去面對。

I have admitted before that, other than helping out with washing the dishes after dinner, I never like spending time in the kitchen when I was at home.

But whenever my mum was feeling unwell or taking ill, I was happy to carry the basket and go to the wet market near our house, spending a long time buying and then cooking dinner for my family. And each meal would definitely has a fish amongst other dishes.

My parents wanted to encourage and praise my efforts, so they would always tell me the meal was cooked deliciously; it always made me feel happy and proud.

One day, my aunt was coming over for dinner. For a change, I offered to do the steamed fish. When it was cooked, my mum quickly took it out from the steamer and carefully poured the water away from the plate! I was so shocked! I cried out loud," Mum, what are you doing? The fish won't taste as good now that you got rid of the sauce!" My mum just carried on, putting some oil in the pan. She smiled and said to me," The water produced during the steaming time with the fish always taste fishy, if it's mixed with the hot oil and soy sauce that's poured over the spring onions,  not only will it spoil the flavour, it will make the colour of the sauce murky too."

I felt quite embarrassed  during the meal that day. Knowing all along my parents didn't correct me because they loved me and didn't want to hurt my feelings.

When I became a parent, I was determined my children should not be making similar mistakes. Very often, I would pass on to them my wisdom and experiences in life. But young people have their own minds to make. Rightly or wrongly, they needed to go through it and learned it themselves.

雖然我喜歡只用薑葱簡單蒸出鮮美的魚。但老公是客家人，自小他便吃慣蒸熟的魚上鋪滿了各種不同的材料；如蒜頭豆豉、鹹檸檬、金針雲耳、木耳紅棗、冬菇瘦肉、各式的鹹菜如冬菜、沖菜、大頭菜 ... 等等。

所以他常常要我給轉換口味。我不是常教我的孩子做人不要太主觀執著的嗎？自己也要以身作則才行啊！

Although I prefer steaming fish with just ginger and spring onions, my husband is used to recipes from his own village. There, they always put a lot of other ingredients on top to steam the fish together with like garlic and black beans, salted lemon, black fungus and red dates, shiitake mushrooms and pork, and all different types of salted vegetables etc. 

That's why he has always asked me if I could cook the fish this way or that. One must practice as one preaches; as I always encourage my children to be open minded, so I must lead by example. 

香菇薑絲燴汁蒸魚

材料：

• 魚 2 條，每條約 1 lb 重 ( 我用的這两條是鱸魚，但可用任何魚 )
• 冬菇 6 隻洗淨用 10 oz 熱水浸 30 分鐘至軟切幼絲
• 薑絲 2 湯匙
• 小紅辣椒 1 隻去籽切絲
• 葱 2 條切絲，葱白與葱綠分開
• 蒜頭 1 粒剁蓉
• 蠔油 2 湯匙
• 生抽 1 湯匙
• 糖 1 茶匙
• 麻油 1 茶匙
• 白胡椒粉少許
• 生粉少許開水作勾芡 ( 埋獻) 用
• 鹽酌量試味
• 莞茜作裝飾

做法：

1. 魚去鱗劏洗乾淨，放菜板上用利刀每邊輕劃 3 刀，但不要割到近骨。把魚放在碟上。
2. 蒸籠內注水，水滾後把魚放進，大火蒸 10 - 12 分鐘或至熟。用筷子挑起魚肉時能與脊骨分離便行。
3. 蒸魚期間，把蠔油 ，生抽，麻油，白胡椒粉，糖和浸冬菇水同放大碗內拌勻成汁料備用。燒紅鍋下油 1 湯匙，轉中火下薑絲、葱白絲、蒜蓉、冬菇絲和一半的紅椒絲爆至香軟；加進汁料煮滾，然後轉小火再煮 2-3 分鐘，下鹽調味。
4. 魚蒸好後，小心把碟中水份傾去 ( 或小心把魚盛進另一乾淨的熱碟上)。將煮滾了的燴汁勾薄芡 ( 埋薄獻) 後淋在魚上，灑下葱綠絲、和餘下的椒絲或莞茜上桌。

Steamed Fish in Braised Shiitake Mushrooms Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2 fish about 1lb each ( I used sea bass here, but you can use any fish )
• 6 shiitake mushrooms, washed thoroughly then soaked in hot water for 30 minutes then julienned
• 2 tbsp julienned ginger
• 1 red chilli, seeded and julienned
• 2 spring onions, julienned and the white and green part separated 
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp fine white pepper
• 1/2 to 1 tsp potato starch, mix with a little water for thickening the sauce
• salt to season
• Coriander to decorate

Method:

1. Scale, clean and wash the fish and lay them flat on a cutting board. Make 3 diagonal slices on each side, making sure not to cut right through to the bone. Place the fish on a plate.
2. Fill the base of the steamer with water and bring to the boil, put the plate of fish in and steam for 10-12 minutes or until the fish are cooked, when you can separate the flesh from the bone with a pair of chopsticks, they are ready.
3. Meanwhile, in a big bowl, mix well together the oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper, the water from soaking the mushrooms in and sugar as the sauce. Heat 1 tbsp oil in pan, add the ginger, the white part of spring onions, garlic, mushrooms and half of the chilli to fry till soft; add the sauce and bring to the boil, then simmer on low heat for 2-3 minutes, season with salt.
4. Pour away the water from the cooked fish or transfer the fish to a hot and clean plate. Heat up the sauce and add a little potato flour to thicken. Pour the sauce over the fish, scatter with the chilli and spring onions, garnish with coriander and serve. 

燴過的汁，有淡淡的薑、蒜、辣椒、冬菇和蠔油香。少了一種瀟脫細緻的賣相；但空氣中多了一份縈迴著屬於家的滋味。

This braised sauce, with the hint of ginger, garlic, chilli, mushroom and oyster sauce; what it lacks of a sophisticated appearance, it makes up for by offering a lingering aroma of a family meal in the air.