Crispy & Spicy Whitebait and Peanuts | Classic Taiwanese Bar Snack

Overview

This video introduces how to make "Stir-fried Whitebait and Peanuts (Xiǎoyú Huāshēng)," a classic Taiwanese side dish and bar snack. By coating the whitebait in potato starch and deep-frying it, you get a wonderfully crispy texture, which is then combined with garlic, chili, green onions, and roasted peanuts for a spicy finish. It is the perfect accompaniment to rice or alcoholic drinks. The video also features a recipe for "Ginger Sauce" that repurposes the frying oil. Explained by Chef Yuji Wakiya, this recipe allows you to recreate authentic Taiwanese culinary techniques at home.

Key Tips

• Prep
  • Coating the whitebait with potato starch (2 tbsp) before frying creates a crispy texture.
• Frying
  • Heat the oil well in a deep pan, add the whitebait, and fry while it sizzles. Frying until lightly colored is sufficient.
• Heat & Timing
  • Since the whitebait continues to cook with residual heat, removing it slightly early is the secret to a crispy finish. Over-frying will cause it to burn.
• Reusing Oil
  • The oil used to fry the whitebait can be strained through a paper towel and reused for the stir-fry or the ginger sauce.
• Stir-frying
  • Heat 1 tbsp of the frying oil in the same pan, stir-fry the garlic, chili, green onions, and peanuts, then add the fried whitebait once everything is coated in oil.
• Seasoning
  • Finish with a simple seasoning of salt and pepper. Since the whitebait itself is salty, adjust the seasoning to taste.
• Ginger Sauce
  • Add salt (1/2 tbsp) to grated ginger (3 tbsp), then pour heated oil (90ml of Taihaku sesame oil or the whitebait frying oil) over it in 2 to 3 batches and mix well. Once cooled, store in a clean jar in the refrigerator.

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• Whitebait50–60g
• Roastedpeanuts 50g
• Garlic(minced) a pinch
• Chilipepper (fresh or dried red chili) a pinch
• Greenonions (cut into 2cm pieces) to taste
• Potatostarch 2 tbsp
• Fryingoil as needed
• Salta pinch
• Peppera pinch
• [GingerSauce] Ginger (grated) 3 tbsp
• [GingerSauce] Salt approx. 1/2 tbsp
• [GingerSauce] Taihaku sesame oil (untoasted sesame oil) 90ml (5–6 tbsp) *Frying oil from the whitebait can also be used

Instructions

1. 1

   [Prep] Coat 50–60g of whitebait with 2 tbsp of potato starch, ensuring it is thoroughly covered.

2. 2

   [Fry] Pour frying oil into a deep frying pan and heat to medium-high. Once the oil is hot, add the whitebait and fry when it starts to sizzle. Remove them when they are lightly colored (just before turning golden brown), spread them on a paper towel, and drain the oil. The key is to remove them slightly early, as they will continue to cook with residual heat.

3. 3

   [Strain Oil] Strain the frying oil through a paper towel to clean it, and set it aside for stir-frying.

4. 4

   [Stir-fry] Heat 1 tbsp of the reserved frying oil in the same pan, then add the minced garlic, chili pepper, green onions, and roasted peanuts, and stir-fry.

5. 5

   [Combine] Once everything is coated in oil and the peanuts are warmed through, add the fried whitebait to the pan and quickly toss together.

6. 6

   [Season & Serve] Season with a pinch of salt and pepper to taste, transfer to a plate, and serve.

7. 7

   [How to Make Ginger Sauce] Mix 3 tbsp of grated ginger with 1/2 tbsp of salt. Heat 90ml of Taihaku sesame oil (or the whitebait frying oil) in a pan, then pour it over the ginger in 2 to 3 batches, mixing well. Once cooled, transfer to a clean jar and store in the refrigerator.

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