← Nouns Cooking · Chinese

Ingredients

• 600 g whole small white fish or fish heads and frames (carp, bream or sea bass), scaled, cleaned and patted very dry
• 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 6 slices Ginger
• 3 Spring onion, whites cut into lengths, greens sliced
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 1.5 l boiling water
• 300 g firm or medium tofu, cut into cubes
• ¾ tsp Salt
• ¼ tsp White pepper
• 1 handful Coriander (cilantro), chopped (optional)

Method

1. Heat the oil in a wide pot or wok over medium heat and add the ginger. Lay in the fish and fry without moving for 3–4 min per side, until golden. This browning gives the soup its colour.
2. Add the spring-onion whites, splash the wine around the edge, then pour in the boiling water all at once.
3. Keep the heat on high and boil hard, uncovered, for 15 min. The vigorous boil emulsifies the fat and gelatine into a milky-white broth.
4. Strain the broth if you used heads or frames, or leave whole fish in. Add the tofu and simmer for 5 min.
5. Season with the salt and pepper, scatter over the spring-onion greens and coriander, and serve hot.

Tips

• The water must be boiling when it goes in: cold water gives a clear soup instead of a milky one.
• Watch for small bones; straining the broth makes it easier to eat.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Omnivore's Cookbook Wok and Kin