good food need for good health@@@@ @@@ A light fish soup for a spring midweek supper.>>>>>>@@@@@The recipe
Bring 500ml of water to the boil, add a 10g piece of dried kombu and simmer for 10 minutes. Add 10g of dried bonito flakes (katsuobushi), cover with a lid and turn off the heat. Leave for 20 minutes.
Trim 4 fillets of red mullet. Halve 6 small pak choi lengthways. Peel and thinly slice a 20g knob of ginger, then cut it into thin matchsticks. Steam the pak choi for 4 minutes in a steamer basket or colander over a saucepan of boiling water.
Pour the broth through a sieve into a saucepan. Bring to the boil, then add the ginger and 1 tbsp of mirin. Check the seasoning, it may need a little salt. Lower the fish into the broth and let it cook at a gentle simmer for 3 to 4 minutes until it is tender. Add a little coriander – 2 or 3 sprigs will do. Drain the pak choi briefly on kitchen paper then divide it between 2 shallow dishes. Place the fillets of red mullet on top then pour over the dashi broth and ginger. Serves 2.
The trick
This is a light dish of clear, gentle flavours. Much depends on the intensity of your broth. If you want to, you could add a little soy, but no more than a couple of drops.
The twist
Use a ready-made dashi. They are available from major supermarkets and Japanese food stores. In place of the pak choi, use spring cabbage, whole mangetout or thin spring carrots.Since you’re here …
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