in my growing up years i do not remember we having yusheng for our chinese new year celebrations but we did have another fish dish - the pek tor fish or pie chia fish. the pek tor is especially popular with the teochew during the chinese new year season. however, since all chinese share the view that whole steamed fish is the symbol of long life and good fortune, it is not surprising that other dialect groups also take to the fish.
the pek tor (white belly) fish is available all the year round but during the chinese new year season, it is special. that is when the fish start to spawn. the females are laden with roe and the males are laden with milt. at other times of the year, the fish is treated as an ordinary fish but comes chinese new year, the price of the fish skyrockets to as high as $80 a kilo. according to one friend, the best place to buy this fish is at jurong fishery port at 3.00 a.m. in the morning.
actually for me, one who does not eat the roe or the milt, it is a waste eating the fish at this time when the demand for it is so great and the price is so ridiculously high. another friend told me that i could get the frozen variety from ntuc supermarket at $4.90 for half a dozen pek tor.
according to some of my teochew friends, the chilli, garlic and salted soya beans are what make the dipping sauce special. i found out that there are as many ways for preparing the fish as there are types of sauce.
apart from steaming, you can also blanch the fish in boiling water. another way is to stir fry it with chinese leeks.
