West Lake fish in piquant sauce is a dish that originates in ancient China in a touching story about two brothers named Song.

The brothers loved to fish, and were good at it. One day the elder brother married a beautiful woman. A local villain, however, jealous of Song’s wife, wanted her for himself and murdered the elder Song. The younger brother and his sister-in-law were filled with indignation and filed a lawsuit against the villain. But the local officials were in league with the villain and drove them out.

Since their safety was under threat, the widow urged the younger brother to flee, and for their parting meal she cooked him a bowl of fish. Upon tasting the dish, the younger brother was confused at the unusual flavor of sugar and vinegar, and asked her why she had combined them. The widow explained that the sweetness of the sugar represented her hope that he lead a sweet life, and the acidity of the vinegar that he never forget the pain of being oppressed.

Several years later, the younger brother passed the imperial examination and was appointed governor of Hangzhou. He punished the villain and searched for his sister-in-law, but could find no trace of her.

Then one day at a feast a friend had held in his honor, he tasted a dish that reminded him of that his sister-in-law had cooked for him all those years ago. He immediately demanded to know where it had come from. On being taken to the kitchen he found his sister-in-law working as cook. She told him how she had come there to work, hidden from the villain and his powerful friends.

Having finally found his sister-in-law, the younger brother quit his government post and welcomed her back home, where they lived a peaceful and happy life.

The dish is simple to prepare.

Split the fish (grass carp) along the spine, put the two halves in parallel in a pot of boiling water, and boil for three minutes on a high flame. Leave a quarter of the broth in the pot and add soy sauce, Shaoxing rice wine, traces of minced ginger to flavor the fish. Remove the fish. Make the sauce by adding sugar, starch and vinegar to the pot, stir and heat until it thickens. Pour the sauce over the fish, and enjoy a sweet and sour fish dish of distinctive piquancy.