A single cut went down...

Stopping only at the fish skin.

Then, he moved the cleaver about half a centimeter back and made another cut parallel to the first one.

Just like this!

Make a cut every half a centimeter, slicing the fish from head to tail.

Each cut should reach only up to the fish skin.

Only in this way can you ensure the fish shape looks beautiful, and it’s easier to fry it evenly.

Once all is done.

He returned to the front of the fish with the cleaver.

He started cutting at a ninety-degree angle from the previous cuts, about every half centimeter.

These two types of cuts intersect to form a perfect cross-hatch pattern.

Then, he handled the other side of the fish in the same way, holding the fish tail, carefully placing the cut fish slices into clean water for soaking.

This removes the blood from the fish meat and makes the cross-cut pattern more even, preventing them from twisting or clumping together.

But soaking time must not be too long, or the fresh taste of the fish meat will be lost.

After about a minute.

He lifted the fish by the tail, gently placing the fish on a tray lined with kitchen paper to drain the water.

During the waiting time, he didn’t idle.

He began to prepare the fish head.

He turned the fish head over and made a cut directly from the gill area.

Following the line of the gills, he made a cut to open the fish head.

The fish head is naturally discarded, leaving only the part with the pectoral fins.

He washed this piece of meat clean under the faucet.

Then removed the bones inside.

Placed it upside down on the cutting board, with the two pectoral fins on top.

The pectoral fins grow vertically backward, resembling a squirrel’s ears!

They are almost identical to those long-eared Demon King Squirrels!

Once the squirrel head was trimmed, he washed it again and then wrapped it in kitchen paper to absorb all the moisture.

Then he took the drained fish body from the tray, placing it together with the squirrel fish head in a bowl.

Next comes the marinating.

He placed chopped scallion segments and ginger in the bowl, adding some rice wine, a teaspoon of salt and pepper, stirring gently to evenly coat the fish meat.

After marinating, he went to the wok to start heating the oil.

When the oil reached sixty percent heat, the fish was nearly marinated.

He took the fish from the bowl, carefully shaking off the scallion and ginger bits, and dried the surface moisture and rice wine with kitchen paper.

Placing it on a clean plate, he added some cornstarch and a bit of custard powder.

The addition of custard powder enhances the fragrance, color, crispiness, and sliding texture!

He stirred briefly and then started powdering.

He lifted the fish tail, placing both fish fillets skin side down onto the plate. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Grabbing the cornstarch in the plate, he evenly sprinkled it on the fish.

Notably, while sprinkling, he used another hand to pull apart the cross-cut gaps in the fish to sprinkle the cornstarch more evenly,

resulting in a more appealing finished product when fried.

Once both fillets were powdered, he lifted the fish tail, gently patting it to further press the cornstarch into the fish while removing any excess to avoid impacting the overall texture due to too much cornstarch.

After all the patting was complete, he folded the fish by the tail forward, passing it through the two fillets.

This maneuver twisted each fillet slightly, turning the flesh outward and the skin inward.

Completing this step.

Next, it was time to fry.

He held the fish tail with one hand and the head of the fish with the other, gently placing it into the oil pan, giving the surface a light fry.

To set the cross-cuts!

Preventing any sticking or failing to unfold the cross-cut pattern.

The more fluffy the cross-cuts, the better the texture and taste of the final dish.

Once both fillets set, he threw the head end into the oil pan while still holding the fish tail.

This part only has skin, so it cannot be fried with the meat, or it will burn.

Seeing the fish meat slowly change color in the pan, only then did he drop the fish into the oil.

Subsequently, he took the previously prepared squirrel head, dusted it with cornstarch, and tossed it into the oil pan to fry slowly together with the fish meat.

After the fish and squirrel head were thoroughly fried, Huang Tao scooped them all out with a slotted spoon.

However.

A second fry was necessary.

Soon after.

The oil temperature in the pan rose to seventy percent.

He held the slotted spoon, placing all the mandarin fish and squirrel head into the pan for a second fry.

After about thirty seconds, he turned off the heat.

Using the slotted spoon, he took out the mandarin fish and squirrel head from the pan again.

Placed them on a clean plate for presentation.

He carefully lifted the fish body with chopsticks, placing it on a plate, then placed the squirrel head in front of the fish body.

At this moment, the squirrel head and fish body were fried to a golden brown, resembling a real squirrel.

Especially the fluffy body and two upright pectoral fins, which made it even more lifelike.

After arranging the dish, Huang Tao wasted no time and started making the sauce.

Once the pan was heated, he poured in some cool oil to coat the pan.

This step prevents the sauce from sticking to the pan later and makes it smoother, enabling even and thorough caramelization.

After coating the pan twice, he added a spoonful of peanut oil.

Once hot, he added a large spoonful of ketchup.

Quickly stir-frying.

The ketchup sizzled in the hot oil.

He slowly stirred, allowing the hot oil to dilute the ketchup while evaporating any unpleasant odors.

Gradually...

The ketchup was diluted by the hot oil.

The unique flavor of the ketchup was also revealed.

This indicated the ketchup was nearly ready.

He then added sugar.

Continuing to stir.

The ketchup, which was previously runny, thickened with the addition of sugar.

He kept stirring.

After about two minutes, the ketchup in the pan thinned again as the sugar melted.

He scooped a tablespoon of white vinegar into the pan.

"Sizzle~"

A rich sour aroma rose from the pan.

He continued stirring unhurriedly until the sauce boiled, then added a small spoonful of salt into the pan.

The salt was to highlight the sweetness and enrich the flavor.

Besides, salt has a strong balancing ability, harmonizing multiple flavors.

After simmering for a little over a minute, when the sauce thickened again, he took a spoon, scooped a ladle of hot oil from the frying pan, and poured it onto the sauce.

This method brightened the sauce’s color and captured the aroma to prevent it from evaporating.

More importantly, a splash of hot oil made the sauce smoother and improved its texture.

He stirred the sauce in the pan for half a minute and, seeing the hot oil blend with the sauce, turned off the heat.

Scooping a spoonful of the sweet and sour sauce, he drizzled it over the fish body lying on the plate, evenly covering the squirrel head and fish body.

The rich sauce flowed over the golden fish, seeping into it.

He then took two clean pepper seeds, gently sticking them onto the squirrel head.

Now.

Two lively eyes appeared.

This signified the completion of the Squirrel Mandarin Fish dish.