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  • sweet, sour and deep fried fish.

  • No, this isn't a Chinese American fast food dish.

  • It's been a Chinese staple for over 200 years and was allegedly a favorite of the Chinese emperor in the 18th century.

  • Chinese food is more than just stir fry noodles and dumplings.

  • I'm Claressa and I'm taking you on a journey through China to try authentic Chinese food region by region.

  • This week we're still in eastern China, which includes Shanghai and Jiangsu Province.

  • Today we're learning all about squirrel fish, also known as Sung Soo way.

  • No actual squirrels were involved in the making of this dish.

  • It's named this way simply because it said toe look like the tale of a squirrel.

  • Kind of.

  • This is a recipe that's been in Chinese cookbooks since the Qing Dynasty.

  • Fundamentally, it's a Chinese perch that's deep fried, then dressed with a sweet tomato based sauce to learn how to make this dish.

  • I met up with the chef at a restaurant chain that's been around for more than 200 years, and this store alone sells 300,000 plates of squirrel fish a year.

  • No, why telling you that?

  • So, yeah, we owe 20.

  • Jang Seo.

  • Taihu Lake is a part of a long network of waterways on the southeastern seaboard of China.

  • It has historically been the region's breadbasket.

  • So things like shrimp, crab and fish are quite common in the region's culinary repertoire.

  • The home is shame, but she's a toe.

  • Paul.

  • Yeah, Mhm today you don't treat them.

  • Chapa.

  • Okay?

  • Do you want your challenge on the charge?

  • Oh, wow.

  • So the pole so Okay, they're just doing that in the bull fan.

  • David.

  • Okay.

  • Okay.

  • Okay.

  • Oh, man, This is harder than chills like a hot.

  • So just leave a junkie.

  • She has a Yeah, so eating.

  • You know, it's like a wave.

  • My, um Yeah, Z uh, So you need okay?

  • No one just a by the home and shit.

  • And I just thought the fish is deep fried in a vat of oil for two minutes and then coated in a sweet and sour sauce comprised of three fish is then plated with green candy Cherries for eyes, pine nuts and sweet river shrimp for garnish and a bunch of grapes for good measure.

  • And it does look a bit like the tale of a squirrel hot now Woman's Hong Kong can s so there you have it.

  • Sweet and sour and fried are not just components of Westernized Chinese food there, traditionally Chinese as well, as long as it's well balanced up.

  • Next we're heading north to Beijing, where we'll be diving deep into a world of wheat based carbs and lots of meat.

  • Stay tuned and, as always, if you haven't already subscribe and follow our channel at Gold thread, too.

sweet, sour and deep fried fish.

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