Chinese Fish Soup (魚頭爐)
Looking for a recipe to bring back the warmth and stir the soul? Try this Chinese Fish Soup! It's got wonderful bold and homey flavours!
Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 1 bass grouper fish head (we ask the fish monger to clean and cut it up for us)
- 1/2 kg (1 lb) fish (we use bass groper)
- 1 packet (400 g / 1lb) pickled mustard greens (we buy it from the local Asian grocery)
- 1/2 kg (1 lb) taro (we buy it from the local Asian grocery)
- fried tofu
- 5 slices ginger
- 8 spring onion heads
- potato starch
- 2 tbsp salt (or to taste)
- 1 tbsp sugar (or to taste)
- 1 tbsp chicken powder
- 3 L water
- rice noodles (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare the fish by giving it a wash and using a knife to lightly scrape off any excess scales. If you ask your fish monger, they will happily do most of the scraping for you.
- Cut the fish into chunks and lightly coat them in potato starch.
- Fry the coated fish pieces in oil over a medium heat until they are golden.
- Cut the taro into chunks or thick slices and fry in oil over a medium heat until golden.
- Wash the pickled mustard greens then chop them into smaller pieces. If you’d prefer a crunch then keep the pieces larger.
- Lightly oil a wok and pan fry the pickled mustard greens for 3 minutes then put it in a pot.
- Heat up a pan with oil and add the ginger and spring onions until fragrant. Toss the fried fish in.
- Pour the the fish, ginger, spring onions into the pot with the pickled mustard greens. Add water and season with salt, sugar and chicken powder.
- Let the broth simmer for 30 minutes. You can add the taro and fried tofu in during this stage for a thicker broth as the taro melts into the soup or you can leave it until just before serving to add it in.
- To enjoy this dish, have it as is or with rice noodles!