---------- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.02

     Title: WEST LAKE FISH
Categories: Chinese, Fish, Loo
     Yield: 2 servings

     1    Fresh-water bass *
     1 tb Dry sherry or rice wine
     4    Ginger slices
          Lots of water, boiling
          -in a kettle
     4 tb Sugar
     6 tb Chekiang vinegar **
     1 tb Soy sauce
   1/4 oz Knob ginger
          Juice of 1 garlic,mashed
     2 tb Cornstarch

 (sweet-sour Hangchow dish, adapted from Joyce Chen's
 restaurant)

 * other fresh-water fish may be substituted; a small
 striper may be substituted in a pinch; look for 15-18"
 (1 1/2 to 2 lb) fish, preferably one you caught
 yourself. You could also probably use 2 or 3 bluegills

 ** substitute cider vinegar, white wine vinegar, or
 possibly balsamic

 Clean, gut, scale, and rinse fish. Cut through skin
 three diagonal cuts on each side like so /// .

 Put fish, sherry, and ginger slices into kettle of
 boiling water. Water should cover the fish. Cover
 tightly and immediately turn off heat. Let stand 15
 min.

 Meanwhile, mix all the rest of the ingredients and
 cook over medium-high heat until sauce thickens.
 Remove garlic if used. Keep very hot.

 Remove fish carefully from water. Drain and gently pat
 dry. Pour boiling sauce over and serve immediately.

 Variation: cut sugar to 1 T; cut vinegar to 2 T.
 Increase soy sauce to 3 T; add 2 T dry sherry to sauce
 ingredients; add 2 T chicken broth to sauce
 ingredients. This obviously is no longer West Lake
 fish but a more standard soy sauce fish.

 From:    Michael Loo

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