Sunday 24 February 2013

Chinese Fish Maw Soup #SundaySupper


Happy Sunday and Happy Yuanxiao Festival!  The traditional Chinese Yuanxioa Festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the first lunar month.  Because the first lunar month is also called "yuan" month; the night of the 15th day of “yuan” month is the first night that the moon gets full; xiao means "night, "so the festival is named Yuanxiao Festival or Shangyuan Festival, Yuanxi Festival or Lantern Festival. 

In Malaysia and Singapore, this day is celebrated by individuals seeking for a love partner, a different version of Valentine’s Day. Normally, single women would write their contact number on mandarin oranges and throw it in a river or a lake while single men would collect them and eat the oranges. The taste is an indication of their possible love: sweet represents a good fate while sour represents a bad fate.  This day often marks the end of the Chinese New Year festivities. 

This Sunday our #SundaySupper theme is “Souper Sunday Supper”.  We are required to cook and share a soup recipe to warm up with during a chilly day or any time of the year.  Our hostess for this week is Pam from The Meltaways

I took this opportunity share one of the popular soup recipes among the Chinese during this Chinese New Year – The Fish Maw Soup.  There are few types of fish maw in the market – the processed and the unprocessed.  I choose the processed type which means is already fried and ready, that you just need to soak in the water and ready to cook immediately.  I have use chicken broth for the base of this soup and I add in with some Chinese Shao-Hsing wine.  The other ingredients are mushrooms and I have used two types of mushrooms – the shitake mushrooms and straw mushrooms (in can form) which are perfect for this soup.  For those who love it to be thicker you may add in some cornstarch diluted in some water and lastly a beaten egg to make the soup even smoother, delicious and of course is ideal to warm you up during the cold seasons. 


INGREDIENTS

150gm processed fish maw
½ cup of sliced ginger
4-5 shitake mushrooms, soaked and cut into small cube size
½ can of straw mushrooms, cut into half or quarter, depending on size
6 cups of chicken broth
1 ½tbsp of Shao-Hsing wine
2tbsp of sesame oil
1 egg, lighten beaten
Salt and ground pepper for additional taste

Some chopped cilantro to garnish

Serves 4



DIRECTIONS

1.     Soak the fish maw, shitake mushrooms in separate bowls of cold water until tender.

2.     In a pot, boil water with few (4 to 5) slices of ginger. Add the fish maw and boil for few
         minutes. This is to help the fish maw become softer and to clear the remaining fishiness
         smell.

3.     Remove the fish maw from boiling water and cut into bite pieces.  Place those cut fish
        maw back into the bowl of cold water.

4.    In a separate boil or skillet, heat-up with sesame oil and add in the remaining slices of
        ginger until aromatic.

5.    Add in chicken broth and later Shao-Hsing wine and let it boil for 1 to 2 minutes.

1.           6.     Add in drained fish maws, shitake mushrooms, straw mushrooms and let it simmer for
       another 10 – 15 minutes.




 6.     7.     Add in drained fish maws, shitake mushrooms, straw mushrooms and let it simmer for
 
    another 10 – 15 minutes.



8.     Ladle out and add in some chopped cilantro to garnish and serve immediately.






Don’t forget to check out all of the wonderful soups being offered by the #SundaySupper family:

Do The Chicken Dance (chicken {or other poultry} soups)
Where’s The Beef (Beef Soups)
Pass The Pork. Please (Pork or Sausage Soups)
Under The Sea (Seafood Soups)
Eat Your Veggies (Chock Full o’ Vegetables Soups)
Some Don’t Like It Hot (Chilled Soups)

38 comments:

  1. I wonder where the oranges in the river come from, such an interesting tradition. Beautiful soup Faye, and your step by step pics are wonderful! Have a gread day!

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    1. Thank you Paula! The girls have to bring their oranges. Normally, they will leave their contact number in the oranges before they throw the oranges into the river. You have a great day too!

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  2. I've never heard of fish maw...but this looks amazing!

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  3. I love your bowls you used and your soup looks delicious!!!!

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    1. Thank you! I purposely bought them for the Chinese New Year celebrations.

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  4. Looks and sounds so good! Love the tradition with the oranges!

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    1. Thank you Amy! The tradition of oranges are really fun!

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  5. Yum! Your soup looks amazing and I loved learning about Yuanxiao Festival!

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    1. Thank you Shannon! Glad you like the Yuanxiao information!

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  6. I'm going in search of fish maw. Thanks for showing the step-by-step process for making this soup, which will be helpful when I try to make it. It looks very delicious!

    Alaiyo

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Alaiyo! Wish you all the best on trying this soup, let me know if you need further assistance.

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  7. I have never heard of this before, but it looks comforting and delicious!

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    1. This soup is popular among Chinese community. You should try it out, Erin. Thank you for dropping by:-)

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  8. I haven't heard of some of the ingredients but it sure looks good!! I would love to have a big bowl right now!!!

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    1. Haha...I wish I can serve you a BIG bowl now, Tara! You may try to get the ingredients from Chinese shop.

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  9. The orange tradition is so interesting. This soup looks delicious. I wonder if I can find fish maw around me?

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    Replies
    1. I am sure you can find it at Chinese grocery shop. Thank you Lane!

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  10. Wonderful looking soup and beautiful bowls too!

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  11. This soup looks super flavorful and easy to make. Love it!

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  12. I very much enjoyed reading about the custom of Chinese Yuanxioa Festival and how single women write their phone numbers on oranges.
    Your soup looks delicious! ~ Bea @ Galactosemia in PDX

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  13. Never heard of fish maw before, don't seem to find it around me!

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    1. Sarah, maybe you want to try at those Chinese shop that selling dried seafood?

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  14. Now where has this soup been all my life? I have to give it a try. Wow!

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  15. I heard of fish maw but never knew what it was before. Interesting!

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  16. oh this fish maw soup looks wonderful!!! and I love your spoons and soup bowls! so pretty!

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    1. Thank you Alice! I love those spoons and bowls too!

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  17. I haven't had fish maw in years, I would love to try this at home

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    Replies
    1. Yes Laura, is another comfort soup for the whole family, hope they all will like it!

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  18. Thank you so much, Faye for sharing this very interesting festival. I appreciate your wonderful soup recipe, too =)

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