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Sweet and sour fish
A 9:16 storyboard, 91 seconds of edit time. Scene lengths are cuts, not the minutes the pot actually needs. Music mood: Sparse acoustic, warm room tone, no lyrics.
Scene 1 · hook · 4s
Hook
Shot. Open tight on the finished Sweet and sour fish, then pull back just enough to see the plate. Ivory linen, warm window light, no faces, no logos, no text burned into the picture.
Voiceover. Sweet and sour fish. Sweet and sour fish (糖醋鱼), a Shandong dish from China. Here is the whole thing, one move at a time.
On screen. Sweet and sour fish
Scene 2 · title · 4s
Open on the finished dish
Shot. Slow push-in on the finished Sweet and sour fish, ivory linen, a gold spoon just out of focus. No faces. No logos.
Voiceover. Sweet and sour fish. Sweet and sour fish (糖醋鱼), a Shandong dish from China.
On screen. Sweet and sour fish
Scene 3 · ingredients · 6s
Mise en place
Shot. Overhead flat lay. Hands set down small bowls in a quiet rhythm. Labels stay out of frame.
Voiceover. Set out white fish fillet, rice vinegar, granulated sugar, tomato paste, fresh ginger. Measure before the pan is hot.
On screen. Mise en place
Scene 4 · equipment · 5s
Equipment
Shot. A slow pan across the tools on the counter, then back to the bowl. No brand logos.
Voiceover. You need Heavy pot, Scale, Slotted spoon, Thermometer.
On screen. Heavy pot · Scale · Slotted spoon
Scene 5 · step · 7s
Step 1
Shot. Sweet and sour fish: weighed ingredients beside the heating pan. Natural window light, ivory linen, handmade ceramic, no text, no logo. Show the action, then a jump cut through the wait. Do not film the full Heat 5 min in real time.
Voiceover. Set out a scale and the equipment for Sweet and sour fish. Heat to 350°F / 177°C oil and give it 5 minutes so the surface is actually hot. Weigh white fish fillet, rice vinegar, granulated sugar, tomato paste, fresh ginger, scallion, cornstarch, neutral oil, kosher salt. Sweet and sour fish is cooked in Shandong as its own plate, not as a copy of a restaurant menu. Score the fish, dust it with cornstarch, fry until the skin is taut, then coat it in a vinegar and sugar sauce that bubbles to a gloss. Amounts are for 4 from foods this library can count.
On screen. Set out a scale and the equipment… · Heat 5 min
Scene 6 · step · 6s
Step 2
Shot. Sweet and sour fish: ingredients prepped and the pan at heat. Natural window light, ivory linen, handmade ceramic, no text, no logo.
Voiceover. Sweet and sour fish is cooked in china. Also called 糖醋鱼. Drain fried food on a rack, not on a piled paper towel that traps steam.
On screen. Sweet and sour fish is cooked in china. Also…
Scene 7 · step · 7s
Step 3
Shot. Sweet and sour fish: aromatics and the main ingredient in the pan. Natural window light, ivory linen, handmade ceramic, no text, no logo. Show the action, then a jump cut through the wait. Do not film the full Build the base in real time.
Voiceover. Cook the aromatics first, then the main ingredient for Sweet and sour fish, until the edges take a little color. A thermometer in the thickest center beats guessing from the color.
On screen. Cook the aromatics first, then the… · Build the base
Scene 8 · step · 7s
Step 4
Shot. Sweet and sour fish: simmering or roasting until the cue. Natural window light, ivory linen, handmade ceramic, no text, no logo. Show the action, then a jump cut through the wait. Do not film the full Fry 3 min in real time.
Voiceover. Add the remaining weighed foods and cook Sweet and sour fish at 350°F / 177°C oil. Start checking at 3 minutes. Sweet and sour fish is done when the outside is browned and the thickest center is cooked through for the protein on the plate. The heat was 350°F / 177°C oil.
On screen. Add the remaining weighed foods and… · Fry 3 min
- 🇨🇳 ChinaEast Asiasig-china-sweet-and-sour-fish-sig-china-sweet-and-sour-fish-9
Step 5
step · china
Scene 9 · step · 6s
Step 5
Shot. Sweet and sour fish: checking the center for doneness. Natural window light, ivory linen, handmade ceramic, no text, no logo.
Voiceover. Check the center of Sweet and sour fish, not the edge. If the cue is not true yet, give it a few more minutes and look again. Opening a lid or an oven door early drops the heat.
On screen. Check the center of Sweet and sour fish, not…
- 🇨🇳 ChinaEast Asiasig-china-sweet-and-sour-fish-sig-china-sweet-and-sour-fish-10
Step 6
step · china
Scene 10 · step · 7s
Step 6
Shot. Sweet and sour fish: rested and ready to plate. Natural window light, ivory linen, handmade ceramic, no text, no logo. Show the action, then a jump cut through the wait. Do not film the full Rest 5 min in real time.
Voiceover. Rest Sweet and sour fish for 5 minutes, then taste and adjust the salt. Serve it in the way it is eaten in china, with the sauce or garnish that belongs to it. Film Sweet and sour fish in this shot order and no other: a grill grate just before the food lands; a blender lid held down for the puree; scale and bowls in a flat lay; a thermometer in the thickest center. Slate words for the editor: skillet, shimmer, nacre, iris, basket, whisk, tender, quiet, kiln, dough.
On screen. Rest Sweet and sour fish for 5… · Rest 5 min
Scene 11 · doneness · 6s
How you know it is done
Shot. Close on the center of the food. A skewer, tap, or spoon shows the cue. Hold long enough to see it.
Voiceover. Sweet and sour fish is done when the outside is browned and the thickest center is cooked through for the protein on the plate. The heat was 350°F / 177°C oil.
On screen. Doneness
Scene 12 · mistakes · 7s
If it goes wrong
Shot. Split screen is unnecessary. Show the finished, correct texture, then a hand points at the cue.
Voiceover. Sweet and sour fish looks done at the edge and is still raw in the center. Trust the cue, not the color. Check the thickest piece and give it a few more minutes. Sweet and sour fish turned out salty, dry, or watery. Weigh the salt and the liquid next time. Keep the heat at the temperature in the method, and stop when the doneness cue appears.
On screen. Common fixes
Scene 13 · storage · 5s
Cooling and storage
Shot. The dish cools on a rack, then a container is closed. No refrigerator brand in frame.
Voiceover. Cool Sweet and sour fish, then cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Freeze portions for a month if the dish reheats in a pot or oven. Reheat leftovers until steaming.
On screen. Storage
Scene 14 · nutrition · 5s
Nutrition lower third
Shot. Hold on a single serving. A quiet lower third fades in. No medical claims on screen.
Voiceover. One serving is about 183 calories, with 21.2 grams of protein. Pai marks it Moderate.
On screen. 183 kcal · 21.2 g protein · Moderate
Scene 15 · plate · 5s
Plate and close
Shot. Spoon or tongs place the last garnish. Pull back to the full plate. End on steam or a still surface.
Voiceover. Serve 4 plates. Eat while it is at its best.
On screen. Sweet and sour fish
Scene 16 · cta · 4s
Close
Shot. Hold the finished plate. A quiet end card can fade in after the picture. Do not cover the food with a logo.
Voiceover. Cook Sweet and sour fish from the Pai recipe. The amounts, the heat, and the moment to stop are written under each step.
On screen. Cook it from the recipe
Machine-readable script for a later video tool. Scene durations are edit lengths, not cooking times. Long simmers and bakes are jump cuts. Order: hook, title, mise, equipment, one scene per numbered step (shot, on-screen text, voiceover, duration), doneness, fixes, storage, nutrition, plate, and the closing CTA. Keep the shot list and on-screen facts tied to this recipe.