Sesame + fish = one very amazing dinner

Sesame is beloved throughout China. Foods in the north probably could not exist without either their toasted seeds or creamy paste. A close second for this devotion would be the cuisines along the lower Yangtze.

I developed this dish in order to combine my own delight in these little seeds with mild fish filets, chunks of fresh garlic, and the rich piquance of black vinegar. The results are — if I may be so immodest as to say myself — stellar.

A particularly delicious discovery was that using nothing other than sesame seeds as the breading works perfectly, and, unlike any other breading I can think of, they do not get soggy. Sauces can therefore drizzled over them with impunity, and the sesame will still stay crunchy.

Nirvana for sesame lovers

This is a great dish for family meals or even the fanciest dinner, as most of it can be prepared ahead of time. Only a quick turn in some hot oil is needed at the last minute.

Sesame fish

Zhīmá yúpiàn 芝麻魚片

Jiangsu (in style)

Serves 4 to 6

Fish and marinade:

1 pound mild-flavored fish filets (skinned and boneless)

1 large egg white

½ teaspoon sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

White half of a green onion, finely minced

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Sauce:

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

3 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil

½ cup coarsely chopped garlic

½ cup Shaoxing rice wine

¼ cup black vinegar

2 tablespoons light soy sauce

2 teaspoons or more sugar

10 tablespoons (or more) raw white or unhulled sesame seeds

Oil for frying

Green half of a green onion, thinly sliced

Easily prep

1. Start this dish at least 2 hours before it is to be served. To prepare the fish, rinse it and, if necessary, cut it into pieces around ¼ inch thick. Then, trim the filets into pieces between 2 and 3 inches long. Run your fingertips over both sides of the fish and use tweezers to pull out any bones you find. Pat the filets dry.

2. Place the egg white into a sealable container and lightly beat the white until it is foamy. Mix in the rest of the marinade ingredients. Add the filets to the marinade, toss them around so that they all become coated, cover the container, and chill the fish for at least 2 hours and up to 8 hours before cooking them.

3. Next, prepare the sauce by placing a wok over medium heat. When it is hot, pour in the oil and add the garlic. Gently fry the garlic until it is lightly browned, and then stir in the rest of the ingredients. Bring the sauce to a boil over high heat, taste and adjust the seasoning, and reduce the sauce until it is thick and bubbly.

4. Pour the sesame seeds into a rimmed plate. Have a clean baking sheet for the coated fish ready. Dip one slice of fish at a time into the sesame seeds, turn it over, and pat the seeds all over. Place the coated fish slice on the baking sheet and repeat with the rest of the fish until all of them have been coated. Discard any leftover marinade and sesame seeds.

5. Just before serving, have a rimmed platter next to the stove and place a skillet over medium heat. When the skillet is hot, pour in about ¼ inch of oil. As soon as a chopstick inserted in the oil bubbles all over, add the coated fish slices one piece at a time. Do this in a couple of batches so that the fish pieces are not crowded. Fry the fish on one side until it is a golden brown, gently flip it over to fry the other side until it too is golden, and arrange the cooked fish on the platter. Repeat with the rest of the fish until all of it has been fried.

6. Bring the sauce to a boil again, immediately pour it over the fish, sprinkle on the green onion slices, and serve.

Beijing's laughing doughnut holes

As the end of the Lunar New Year celebrations looms on the immediate horizon (four days hence), I will take advantage of the time we have left to introduce yet a few more favorite holiday foods.

One that has been a part of our family for decades are these Laughing Doughnut Holes, or kaikouxiao ("open mouth laughs"). Calling them doughnut holes, though, is almost an insult, because none others that I have eaten over the years can hold a candle to these light, barely sweet, ethereal delights.

Traditionally made around this time of year as a treat especially for the young, I've served them to many a Chinese expat who gets a bit misty eyed at the memories these little guys seem to resuscitate. Like your mother's best Christmas cookies or the holiday pastries your grandmother would make only once a year, these tend to be loaded with wonderful connections to the past.

Light and crunchy

But all of that aside, these are very easy to toss together, and there is no reason why they need to be made only during the spring festivities. I have usually seen kaikouxiao coated with white sesame seeds; however, I love the deep contrasts that black sesame seeds provide and so have used them here. They taste the same, so this is more of an aesthetic tossup. 

Absolutely at their prime as soon as they emerge from their hot oil bath, these Chinese doughnuts are optimally made just before you serve them. They can, of course, sit around for a short while, but the crispness evaporates with the heat. While still tasty even an hour or so later, bring them piping hot to the table if you can.

If you are concerned that they will be greasy, they won't. These absorb very little oil, forming a crispy surface as soon as they hit the fat, and this repels any oil absorption.  They also are only barely sweet, meaning that you will probably eat quite a few before you know it.

Serve them with hot tea or even coffee, or milk for the kids.


Laughing doughnut holes 
Kaikouxiao  開口笑
Beijing
Makes about 20

The balls beginning to "smile"

1 cup Chinese flour, or 2/3 cup all-purpose plus 1/3 cup pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon soft solid fat (unsalted butter, lard, or white shortening) at room temperature

1 tablespoon filtered water

1 large egg at room temperature

¼ cup sugar

½ teaspoon sea salt

¼ cup (or so) raw sesame seeds, either black or white (see Tips)

2 to 3 cups fresh peanut or vegetable oil (see Tips)

1. Mix the flour and baking powder together in a small work bowl. Use a mixer to beat the fat, water, egg, sugar, and salt together to form a thin batter. Slowly mix in the flour and baking powder to form a soft dough.

2. Place the sesame seeds in a medium bowl. Use one hand to scoop out the dough and wet the other one to shape the dough into balls. Spoon a piece of dough about the size of a walnut (see Tips) and drop it into the sesame seeds. Use the other hand to roll the dough around in the sesame until it is completely coated, and then lightly roll the ball between your palms to form a small ball. Repeat with the rest of the dough until you have 20 or so small balls coated with sesame.

Roll dough in the seeds

3. Prepare a plate next to the stove, and cover it with a paper towel. Heat the oil in a small saucepan (see Tips) over medium heat until wooden chopsticks inserted in the oil bubble all over. Gently add some of the balls to the hot oil (see Tips), and remember that they will expand to twice their original size as they fry.

4. Lightly shake the pan so that the balls cook and roll over on their own; if any need help, just nudge them with the chopsticks. When the balls are browned all over and have split, remove them with a slotted spoon and place them on the paper towel. Repeat with the rest of the balls until done. Serve immediately, if possible.

Tips

The sesame seeds and oil both should be very fresh here. Taste a couple of seeds and discard if they are at all stale. And use only fresh oil here, as that is what makes the doughnuts so light and tasty.

You don't need to be too exacting when scooping out the dough; as long as they all are about the size of a walnut and all are more or less the same size, they will cook evenly.

Adjust the heat as necessary. The oil has to be hot enough to fry the dough quickly, since if it is too cold the dough will just soak up the oil. On the other hand, too hot a fire will burn the dough before the insides have cooked. So, test the oil with your chopsticks and then monitor the heat as you cook the doughnuts.

Get the sesame coated balls as close to the oil as you safely can before sliding them in; this will cut down on splashing. Also make sure there is plenty of room between the balls, since the dough will expand dramatically as it cooks.