I hear ya, I am not the biggest fan of chicken essence either. Trust me, when applied this way, it acts like a really concentrated chicken stock, which seriously amps up the flavour of the resulting sauce. So instead of using merely water in this Cantonese-style steamed fish, we're adding the potency of a small bottle of essence of chicken. Flavour and Vitality. Win-Win.

Ingredients

• 1 whole grouper or snapper, about 400-600g (Cleaned)

• 3-4 slices of ginger

• 3-4 stalks of spring onions

• 1 bottle of Essence of Chicken

• 1.5 Tablespoons light soy

• 1/2 teaspoon sugar

• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

• 1 Tablespoon Shao xing wine

• Cilantro, spring onion, julienned young ginger, for garnish

• Fried shallots (optional, for garnish)

• 1 Tablespoon of canola oil

Directions

• Lay the ginger & spring onion slices on your steaming platter. Arrange your fish to be perched on top.

• Make your sauce by mixing the essence of chicken, light soy, sugar, sesame oil and Chinese Shao xing wine in a bowl. Pour this over your fish.

• Steam over high heat for 6-8 minutes, until the fish is cooked through to the bone. A fork or chopstick should pierce easily through its flesh.

• Scatter your julienned ginger, spring onion and cilantro slices on top of the fish. Heat up your tablespoon of oil until it’s really hot. Sizzle it directly on top of the fresh aromatics you just garnished your fish with. It should release its aromas and have a nice sheen to it.

• Serve with fried shallots and enjoy!