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Teochew fish soup
Hî mî tng (魚片湯): clear Teochew broth with sliced batang fish, tomato, tofu and lettuce
Office workers in the CBD form long lunch queues for a dish that looks almost plain: a bowl of clear, sweet broth with thick slices of batang (Spanish mackerel), wedges of tomato, silken tofu, lettuce and a little salted vegetable, served with rice or thick rice noodles. Good stalls simmer fish bones for hours, but at home a well-flavoured stock and plenty of ginger get you close in half an hour. The fish should be just set and springy, the broth light, gently tangy from tomato and savoury from fish sauce. Most home versions go wrong by boiling the slices hard, which breaks them up and turns them chalky; they need only a few minutes at a gentle simmer. Chef's tip: toss the fish slices with a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of tapioca starch before cooking, which keeps them silky and stops them falling apart.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 2
Ingredients
For the fish
- 12 ½ oz Spanish mackerel (batang) filletskinned, or snapper or grouper; sliced 1 cm thick
- ½ tsp saltplus extra for the broth
- 1 tsp tapioca starchor cornflour
For the soup
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 1 oz fresh gingercut into thin matchsticks
- 3 garlic clovesthinly sliced
- 4 ¼ cups fish or chicken stock
- 1 ⅜ oz salted mustard greens (kiam chye)rinsed, soaked 10 minutes, sliced
- 2 tomatoescut into wedges
- 7 oz silken tofucubed
- 3 ½ oz romaine or iceberg lettucetorn
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper
To serve
- 2 bowls cooked riceor thick rice noodles
- 1 spring onion (optional)sliced
- 1 tbsp fried shallots (optional)
- 2 bird's eye chillies (optional)sliced, in a little fish sauce
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Pat 12 ½ oz Spanish mackerel (batang) fillet dry, toss the slices with ½ tsp salt and 1 tsp tapioca starch and leave in the fridge while you start the broth.
Step 2: Heat 1 tbsp neutral oil in a medium pot over a medium heat and fry 1 oz fresh ginger and 3 garlic cloves for 1–2 minutes, until the garlic is pale gold.
2 minStep 3: Pour in 4 ¼ cups fish or chicken stock, add 1 ⅜ oz salted mustard greens (kiam chye) and bring to the boil, then simmer for 5 minutes so the salted vegetable seasons the broth.
5 minStep 4: Add 2 tomatoes and simmer for 3 minutes, until their skins just begin to curl.
3 minStep 5: Season with 1 tbsp fish sauce and ¼ tsp ground white pepper, then taste and add salt if needed. Lower the heat until the broth just bubbles at the edges.
Step 6: Slip in the fish slices one at a time and add 7 oz silken tofu. Poach without stirring for 3–4 minutes, until the fish is opaque all the way through and flakes when pressed.
4 minStep 7: Drop 3 ½ oz romaine or iceberg lettuce into the bowls, ladle the soup, fish and tofu over and scatter with 1 spring onion and 1 tbsp fried shallots. Serve with 2 bowls cooked rice and 2 bird's eye chillies on the side.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 34 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does teochew fish soup take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 2 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of fresh ginger?
- ¼ tsp ground ginger per tbsp fresh (add it with the spices).
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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