Pan-fried pomfret with garlicky spinach
Tender, few-boned pomfret patted dry and pan-fried until crisp and golden, served with garlic-fried spinach — one fish, one vegetable, gently boosting qi and blood.
- 30 min
- Serves 2
- Pan-fry
- Easy
Why it suits you: Qi-deficient people tire easily, run out of breath when talking and have middling appetites, and Chushu's 'autumn fatigue' hits them hardest. Pomfret is sweet and neutral, boosting qi and blood and strengthening the spleen, and its tender, few-boned flesh is easy to digest; spinach nourishes blood and moistens dryness. Pan-fried with little oil, it nourishes without sitting heavily.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 15 min- 1Clean the pomfret, score each side two or three times and pat thoroughly dry with kitchen paper. Rub with salt, leave for 10 minutes, then dust lightly with cornflour.
- 2Heat the oil, lay a few ginger slices in the pan and fry the fish on top over a medium heat for 5 minutes without moving it, until golden underneath. Turn and fry for 4 minutes more until cooked through.
- 3Lift the fish onto a plate. Fry the shredded ginger and spring onion in the pan juices, add the soy sauce and 1 tbsp water, bring to the boil and pour over the fish.
- 4Wipe out the pan, heat a little oil and fry the garlic until fragrant. Stir-fry the spinach over a high heat for 1–2 minutes until wilted, season with salt and serve with the fish.
Cautions
- Spinach is high in oxalates, so blanch it for a minute before stir-frying if you have kidney stones; avoid this if fish disagrees with you.
Chef's tips
- Dry the fish thoroughly and don't move it until the skin has set, so it doesn't stick or tear when you turn it.
The TCM view
Pomfret is sweet and neutral, entering the spleen and stomach, boosting qi, nourishing blood and supporting the sinews — the Bencao Shiyi says it 'makes people sturdy and boosts strength'. Spinach is sweet and cool, nourishing blood and moistening the bowels; garlic is pungent and warm, warming the middle and tempering the spinach's coolness; ginger settles the stomach.
