sweet sour mackerel

Mackerel or "ikan tenggiri" can be cooked in a variety of ways, the easiest of course is pan frying it. This sweet sour dish is also easy to prepare; and accompanied with rice, it becomes a one-dish meal. But you may also want to have soup and a vegetables dish to go with it; whichever, this recipe serves 2.

Ingredients

2 slices of mackerel fillet

1 large fresh tomato

2 small white onions
4 cloves of garlic
1 shallot
1/2 a thumb size ginger
a few stalks coriander leaves

1 small rice bowl water

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1 tablespoon bottled tomato sauce

1 tablespoon light soy

pepper, salt, wheat flour, corn oil

Method

1. Coat the mackerel fillet with pepper, salt and wheat flour

2. Heat 1 cup of cooking oil in a clean dry wok and put the fish in (one at a time), pan frying both sides

3. Keep aside the cooked fish on a plate while you make the sweet sour sauce

4. To make the sauce, 

    slice the tomato, peel and slice the onions, garlic, shallot, ginger and slice the coriander leaves.....and

take the leftover wheat flour (you'd used for coating the fish) about 2 teaspoons and add to it; water, pepper, brown sugar, oyster sauce, tomato sauce, light soy.  Stir with a spoon, mixing well, and leave it aside




5. Now use back the same wok (no need to wash) which was used to pan fry the fish, leave 1/3 of the same oil in the wok



6. First saute the white onions, garlic, shallot and ginger and stir frying till fragrant



7. Then add the tomato and coriander



8. Next, the seasoning water; first let the sauce bubble, then add both fish fillet



9. After one minute, turn over the fish and scoop some of the sauce to pour on top (this is to let the sauce sip into both sides of the fish); let the fish simmer for about 5 minutes over low heat and it is done



10. Lay some cut fresh lettuce on a plate and serve the cooked fish on top of it, then garnish with chopped coriander leaves