Simple Chinese-style Fish Soup Noodles
This cheat recipe delivers full-bodied flavours, without boiling fish bones and all that jazz
Equipment
- Deep pot
Ingredients
- Handful dried anchovies, washed (roughly 25-30g)
- 5-6 garlic cloves, smashed
- 3-4 slices ginger (more if you like gingery taste)
- 1-2 pieces Chinese pickled vegetable leaves
- 600ml water
- 2 crispy thin yee mee noodle cakes
- blanched vegetables
Instructions
- To start, roughly smash ginger and garlic. This step is important to release the juices.
- Heat up a tbs of oil in the same pot you are using to make this soup. When hot, lightly fry ginger and garlic in the oil.
- To this, add washed anchovies and lightly fry in the oil. Add pickled vegetables.
- Finally, add water and boil for half an hour until all the flavours are coaxed out of the ingredients.
- Prepare toppings. I simply blanch bittergourd in salted boiling water, and prepare an airfried fish cutlet and ramen eggs (7 minutes in boiling water, eggs start a room temperature).
- Place noodle cakes in bowls. As thin yee mee is already cooked, just pour hot soup in through a strainer, which will soften the noodles, add toppings and you're done!
Notes
Chinese-Style Fish Soup Noodles
1. What ingredients do I need for this cheat Chinese-style fish soup? Just four for the soup base: garlic, ginger, anchovies (ikan bilis), and water. Everything else is optional add-ons. 2. Why fry the anchovies before boiling the soup? Frying releases deeper umami and infuses the oil with savoury flavour, creating a richer broth than boiling anchovies alone. 3. Do I need to season the soup with salt? Usually no — the anchovies are naturally salty and flavourful, especially when fried first. 4. What noodles work best for fish soup noodles? Thin yee mee is ideal. You don’t need to pre-cook them; the hot soup will soften them instantly. 5. What toppings can I add to fish soup noodles? Common toppings include fried fish, bittergourd, ramen eggs, tomatoes, tofu, or pickled mustard (kiam chye) for brightness. 6. How do I reduce fishiness in fish soup? Add pickled mustard greens to the broth. Its natural sourness cuts through any fishy notes. 7. Can I use store-bought stock instead of anchovies? Yes, but anchovies give the closest “hawker stall” flavour. If substituting, pick a light, clear stock so it doesn’t overpower the fish. 8. How long does the soup base take to cook? About 10–15 minutes. Fry aromatics, fry anchovies, add water, and boil until flavourful. 9. What type of fish should I use for this recipe? Any firm white fish works — threadfin, grouper, dory, garoupa slices, or pre-fried fish fillets. 10. How do I keep fried fish crispy when serving? Add the fried fish only at the end, right before eating, so it stays crispy on the outside but tender inside.
1. What ingredients do I need for this cheat Chinese-style fish soup? Just four for the soup base: garlic, ginger, anchovies (ikan bilis), and water. Everything else is optional add-ons. 2. Why fry the anchovies before boiling the soup? Frying releases deeper umami and infuses the oil with savoury flavour, creating a richer broth than boiling anchovies alone. 3. Do I need to season the soup with salt? Usually no — the anchovies are naturally salty and flavourful, especially when fried first. 4. What noodles work best for fish soup noodles? Thin yee mee is ideal. You don’t need to pre-cook them; the hot soup will soften them instantly. 5. What toppings can I add to fish soup noodles? Common toppings include fried fish, bittergourd, ramen eggs, tomatoes, tofu, or pickled mustard (kiam chye) for brightness. 6. How do I reduce fishiness in fish soup? Add pickled mustard greens to the broth. Its natural sourness cuts through any fishy notes. 7. Can I use store-bought stock instead of anchovies? Yes, but anchovies give the closest “hawker stall” flavour. If substituting, pick a light, clear stock so it doesn’t overpower the fish. 8. How long does the soup base take to cook? About 10–15 minutes. Fry aromatics, fry anchovies, add water, and boil until flavourful. 9. What type of fish should I use for this recipe? Any firm white fish works — threadfin, grouper, dory, garoupa slices, or pre-fried fish fillets. 10. How do I keep fried fish crispy when serving? Add the fried fish only at the end, right before eating, so it stays crispy on the outside but tender inside.