Stop us before we go any further, but is cooking with Ribena’s thick blackcurrant cordial considered, you know, a normal thing? Is pouring sweet grape syrup onto cooked meats a long-time foodhack we’re not privy to?
A quick survey around our office revealed that this is not the case (unless we’re the odd ones out), and elicited an overwhelming reaction that can be summed up by, “What the hell?” and “Why would anyone do that?”.
In any case, Ribena Singapore opened up our eyes to a new potential use of the saccharine purple goo — you can now use it as a sauce for crispy fried fish. A recipe crafted by Poh Lay Tin (from Choa Chu Kang, in case you’re wondering), this Bountiful Fried Fish with Zesty Sweet Sauce seems like an experimental version of sweet-and-sour fish.
Behold:
To be fair, the Ribena sauce involves combining orange juice, sweet cordial, vinegar, and cornstarch — but we imagine that it’d still taste pretty sugary. What makes it all weirder is the fact that some people actually are into grape-flavored fried fish.
Though it sounds like an odd combination, recipes for fish topped with citrus grape sauce can be found in numbers online, but none involve the usage of fruit drink concentrate. Who knows; Ribena Fish could actually taste great. Report back to us if you’ve tried it before.
