Shǔi zhǔ yú -- 水煮魚

Shuizhuyu (Chinese: 水煮魚; pinyin: Shǔi zhǔ yú) is a Chinese dish which originated from the cuisine of Sichuan province which is famous for its spicy food and the name literally means "water-cooked fish filets". This is the signature dish at Sichuan restaurants in China and even abroad, where the delicate and tender white fish showcases the hot and numbing effects of the chillies and Sichuan peppercorns(Pinyin: huā jiāo).

Preparation 

The preparation of this dish usually involves fish, chili pepper, and a large amount of vegetable oil. The fish is prepared with water, starch, and a slight amount of salt. Boiled vegetables are placed at the bottom of the serving bowl or dish. The prepared raw fish is poached in water that is heated to boiling point for 20–30 seconds, just enough to remove rawness yet preserving the fish's tenderness. Then it is drained and put in the serving dish with vegetables. Minced dried chili, sichuan pepper, minced garlic, and other seasoning are spread over the fish. Vegetable oil is heated in a pan nearly to smoking point, then poured over the prepared fish and vegetable.

Comment

This dish maintains tenderness of the fish by poaching it instead of stir frying. It offers a good combination of tender fish, freshness of vegetable, hot spicy flavor of chili pepper, and numbing sensation of Sichuan pepper.