Chinese Fish Noodle Soup with Mexican Verduloga
This exotic marriage of flavours introduces you to the combination of Chinese fish noodle soup and Mexican verdolaga. A fish noodle soup that surprises and delights the palate.
Ingredients
Fried Fish
- 4 pieces trout fillet or any white-fleshed fish
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp white pepper
- ½ cup canola oil
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup flour or cornstarch
Fish Stock
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- 1 lb fish bones and trimmings (such as heads, tails, and bones from white-fleshed fish like trout, snapper, or cod)
- 2 slices of ginger
- 1 litre hot water
- 2 tsp Tianjin preserved vegetable
- salt to your taste
- dashi (optional)
Chinese Fish Noodle Soup with Mexican Verduloga
- 3 cups verdolaga, chopped rinsed and cleaned
- 1 package dried wheat noodles for 4 people
- 4 purple cabbage, thinly sliced
- green onions
- chili oil
Instructions
Fish Stock
- Rinse the fish bones and trimmings under cold water to remove any impurities. Cut the fish bones into smaller pieces to expose more flavour.
- In a large work or frying pan (that can hold 1 litre of water), heat the oil on high temperature. Carefully place the fish bones and ginger into the wok until ginger is fragrant and the fish bones are browned both sides.
- While the wok is still hot, add BOILING water to the wok (this is how we will get the milky colour and texture for the stock). Add in the Tianjin preserved vegetable.
- Bring the stock to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and let it simmer gently. Skim off any foam or impurities that rise to the surface. Simmer for 30-40 minutes. Salt the stock to your taste including the dashi.
Fried Fish
- Meanwhile, the stock is getting ready, rinse the fish filet and pat dry with a paper towel. Place the filet on a clean plate, and season it with some salt and white pepper. Set aside.
- In a frying pan, add the canola oil on high heat until it reaches 350℉. One of my tricks to determine if the oil is hot enough is to insert a clean and dry chopstick into the oil. If the tip of the chopstick starts bubbling, I know the oil is ready.
- In a separate flat bowl, beat the egg well.
- Coat the fish fillet in beaten egg, then promptly dip it into a bowl of flour. Fry each side for approximately 5 minutes or until both sides are golden brown. Set it aside on a paper towel to cool.
Chinese Fish Noodle Soup with Mexican Verduloga
- WASH VERDULOGA: Place the leaves in a colander or a large bowl and rinse them thoroughly under cold running water. Using your fingers, snap the bottom roots off if it is still enacted. Gently rub the leaves with your fingers to remove any dirt or debris. Fill a bowl with cold water and immerse the leaves in it. Swish them around to dislodge any remaining dirt. Lift the leaves out gently to avoid stirring up the settled dirt, and place them in a bowl ready to be cooked.
- PUTTING EVERYTHING TOGETHER: In a clean pot, place a colander on top and strain the fish stock. Discard the bones and other debris from the soup. Bring the soup to a boil.
- Meanwhile, cook the dried wheat noodles as instructed from the package. Rinse the noodle with cold water, strain the noodles, and set aside.
- Once the soup is boiling, roughly chop the verdolaga and toss it in the fish stock. Boil the verdolaga until tender, approximately 5 minutes.
- Divide the noodles into 4 bowls. Now, divide the verdolaga into 4 portions and pour the hot soup into the bowls. To finish everything, place a fish filet onto the soup with the sliced purple cabbage, and some green onions and drizzle some chili oil on top. Serve immediately.