Measurement Conversion Chart

Don’t you just hate it when your favourite recipe is in ‘the opposite’ measurement system? In Singapore, my grandparents generation used the Imperial system like the old British way due to our colonised history. As for my generations, we are educated to use the Metric measurement system like modern UK. Imagine my confusion when my grandmother tries to share her recipe with me!

So… instead of using my dirty fingers to reach my mobile phone and meticulously tap to the conversion application, I have decided to go old school. I made a chart, print and stuck it on the fridge. I should have thought of this earlier.

I have also decided to share this chart with you.
Download the chart by clicking on the image below.

Measurement Conversion Chart is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Pan Fried Tenggiri Fish with Crispy Ginger and Dark Soy Sauce

Pan Fried Tenggiri Fish

Don’t you just hate fish with way too many bones? This fish is definitely not one of them. The end result is a sweet and savory dish. The best part is that it stays crispy for hours which is why my grandmother used to cook it as one of the dishes for lunch while her twelve grandkids sporadically return from school.

Preparation/Cooking Tools

• Knife (Chef or Santoku)
• Chopping Board
• Tablespoon
• Food Tongs or Wooden Chopsticks
• Pan (Sautoir or Crepe)

Ingredients

• Tenggiri Fish (Narrow-barred Spanish Mackerel)
• Peanut Oil
• Ginger (Young or old)
• Salt
• Dark Soy Sauce

Method

1. Get your butcher to cut the fish into steaks (darnes), cross-section of fish.
   It is quicker than having to clean a whole fish. The quantity depends on you. Since they are small round fish, I usually eat 2 steaks with other dishes and rice.
2. If you live in Asia or bought the fish imported from Asia, always rinse and pat dry the fish steaks.
   Most professional chefs recommend against this as it will introduce bacteria into the meat, however, fish merchants in Asia has been known to be less stringent with their sanitation. Some despicable ones even use formaldehyde to preserve the fish. It is just better to play safe. Do not miss the step of drying the fish or it will not be crispy.
3. Cut ginger into thin long strips (julienne).
   Ginger will be infused into the oil when you fry it up. It will help to eliminate any fishy stench. You won’t have the smell as a problem with fresh fish but just imagine the juxtaposition of crispy strips and soft flaky flesh in your mouth.
4. Place your pan on the stove & turn on medium-high heat.
   In asian kitchen, we have a saying, “hot wok, cold oil, food won’t stick.” It is just slightly faster than heating up cold oil from scratch.
5. Add tablespoons of peanut oil to the pan.
   You can replace it with any other vegetable oil. I prefer peanut oil as it reach a high temperature and the fish end up with a mild nutty fragrant. Make sure there is enough oil to cover the ginger strips so that we can do a quick deep fry without changing pan.
6. Scatter ginger strips into the hot pan.
   Make sure you don’t cram too much in the pan or it will simmer in oil instead of frying.
7. Fry ginger strips till golden brown. (About 4 minutes)
8. Remove ginger strips from pan, set aside as garnish later.
9. Rub some salt on the fish steak on both side.
10. Place fish steak in the pan with ginger infused peanut oil.
    You can add more peanut oil to the pan if it is not enough to cover the entire layer of the pan.
11. Fry fish steak for 3 to 6 minutes on each side till golden brown.
    The timing really depends on the thickness of your fish steak. When in doubt, use a fork to pierce the flesh. If it still feel springy, let it cook longer. You may want to place the cooked fish steak on some paper towel to remove excess oil.
12. Drizzle 2 tablespoon of dark soy sauce on golden brown fish steak and garnish with fried ginger strips.
    Remember to use dark soy as it is less salty and have a thicker consistency. This is a very simple dish and it is best serve with jasmine white rice. Enjoy!