STEAMING WHOLE FISH IN THIS WAY enables you to retain all of its wonderful, flavourful juices and «es you a kwsty, aromatic sauce – perfect for spooning over accompanying plain white rice.

SERVES 4

1 bream, scaled and gutted, about 700g
4cm knob of fresh root ginger, peeled
4 spring onions, trimmed
1 long red chilli, deseeded
2 tbsp Shaoxing or Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry)
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp sesame oil

Make slashes in the fish, about 2.5cm apart, slightly on the diagonal, without cutting right through to the bone. Slice the ginger, spring onions and red chilli lengthways into thin matchsticks.

Scatter a little ginger and spring onion over a heatproof plate, large enough to take the fish. Lay the bream on the plate and stuff the fish cavity with a little ginger, spring onion and chilli. Drizzle the rice wine and soy sauce over the fish, then scatter over the rest of the ginger, spring onion and chilli.

Place an inverted heatproof bowl in a large wok and pour in enough water to come halfway up the sides of the bowl. Put the lid on the wok and bring the water to the boil. Now carefully lower the plate containing the fish into the pan, placing it on the upturned bowl; avoid touching the sides of the hot wok. Put the lid back on and steam over a high heat until the fish is just cooked – a knife should slide easily into the thickest part of the flesh. It will take about 10-15 minutes.

As soon as the fish is ready, carefully lift the plate from the steamer. Heat the sesame oil in a small pan until smoking hot, then immediately pour over the fish. Bring the plate to the table and serve at once, with rice and a vegetable dish on the side.