Cantonese-style Steamed Fish Sauce

For seafood such as fish and oyster, the Chinese, especially

the Cantonese, revere simple
steaming while using the most basic of ingredients: ginger,
green onions (scallions), and
a light soy sauce dressing that accentuates the natural
flavors of the seafood. If you have
a great soy sauce dressing, you are almost guaranteed to
have a successful dish, whether
you are making steamed fish, oyster, or even shrimp.
It is very important that you use a high-quality soy sauce
when making this
Cantonese-style Steamed Fish Sauce. For that, I recommend
finding a soy sauce made in
Hong Kong or Taiwan.
Makes 1/2 cup (125 ml) or for 11/2 to 2 lbs (750 g to 1
kg) fish or 8 big oysters
on the half shell
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or sherry
2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
3 dashes white pepper
2 tablespoons rock sugar
1 tablespoon oil
1 Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
2 Heat a saucepan over medium to low heat. Stir in the sauce
to blend well.
3 Once the sauce starts to bubble and boil, remove the
saucepan from the heat and let it cool.
COOKS NOTE: Rock sugar usually comes in small to
medium-sized solid blocks. For easy measurement, break and
grind the rock sugar into a powder form using a mortar
and pestle.