Pineapple and fish in Berlin

The Urban Cook Book: 50 Recipes, 25 Urban Talents, 5 Cities, King Adz 2008 New York

Berlin: Sweet and sour fish

“In most cities of the world, Chinese dishes are a popular street food. Berlin has a mental section of Chinese restaurants and takeaways, and this recipe adapted from a dish I ate in one of them, will keep you away from the MSG for a while . . . This dish can also be made using chicken or prawns.” King Adz

Feeds 4-6

1 kg/2 ¼ lb cod, haddock or salmon; plain flour; salt and black pepper; vegetable oil, for deep-frying

Batter mix: 1.15g/4oz plain flour; 55g/2oz cornflour; a pinch of saly; 200ml/7fl oz fizzy soda water

Sweet and sour sauce: 500ml/18fl oz water; 4 tblsp sugar; 2 carrots, finely sliced; 1 medium onion, roughly chopped; 3 peppers (any colour) chopped; 125g/4oz pineapple chunks, drained and chopped; red colouring; 1 tblsp cornflour mixed with a little water; 4 tspn clear vinegar (distilled malt vinegar)

Make the sweet and sauce first. Put the water and sugar in a medium pan and heat until dissolved. In another pan, lightly cook the carrots in boiling water. Add the remaining vegetables, pineapple and red colouring to the sauce.

Use the cornflour mixture to thicken the sauce. At this point it should be thicker than you want it to be at the end. Remove the pan from the heat and stir well as you add the vinegar. Leave to one side, and warm through briefly when serving.

Whisk all the batter ingredients together until light and fluffy. The mixture should be fairly thick and leave a trail when the whisk is lifted out of the batter.

Cut the fish into bite-sized pieces and toss in seasoned flour. Dip the fish into the batter and fry in hot oil in a deep frying pan until golden brown and crisp, about 5 minutes. Drain on a paper towel.

Serve the battered fish on top of boiled rice, covered with sweet sour sauce.

King Adz writes “This is for everyone. Urban cookery (street food) is the most accessible form of cooking there is. Just as street art has brought the beauty of art into the lives of the masses, street food is all about making diverse and tasty food available to all, using quick and simple recipes that are quick and easy to follow. There is no mystery, no special secret.”