MyWokLife
Homemade Teochew-Style Fish Head Steamboat: Bringing Local Delicacies to Your Table!
Teochew Style Fish Head Steamboat : Why MyWokLife Cook This
Everyone was craving 鱼头炉 (“Yu Tou Lu”), a popular local Chinese soup dish known as fish head pot. However, we opted not to venture out to our favorite stalls for it as we weren’t feeling well enough to go out for dinner after work.
Not to be disappointed, I happily decided to cook it at home. The taste was 80% similar to the outside stalls, though my soup lacked the ‘sweetness’ as I didn’t add MSG. However, the homemade pot boasted the most abundant array of ingredients. That’s what we call homemade perfection.
Well, I didn’t have the traditional Chinese hotpot with charcoal to keep the flame going. Instead, I used my trusty shallow stockpot – a Happy Call brand. (:
Teochew Style Fish Head Steamboat Recipe
Serves 4-5
Ingredients
- 1 medium Silver Pomfret, cleaned internal and cut into chunk pieces1 small portion of meaty Red Snapper fish head
- 1 bowl of yam, sliced into thick stripes
- 1 block of silken tofu, sliced
- Preserved veggies/ pickled mustard (salty & sour type), 酸咸菜, steeped in water for 30 minutes and squeezed dry
- 1 large tomato, cut into wedges
- 2-3 ears of fresh Shiitake mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
- Handful of Chinese cabbage, cut
- 1 thumb sized ginger, sliced
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled
- 1 teaspoon of wolf berries
- 1 cube of ikan bilis (anchovies) stock cube
- 1 – 1.5 litter of water
- 1/2 teaspoon (or less) of salt and pepper
- Tiny pinch of sugar
- 1 tablespoon of cooking oil
Garnishing
- Chinese pasley
- 1 small piece of dried seaweed
Method of Cooking
(1) Rinse and pat dry fish meat and head. Season with some pepper and sesame oil. Mix well and set aside.
(2) Pan fry yam stripes till lightly browned and softened. Drain on kitchen towel and set aside.
(3) Heat large stockpot with oil over medium fire. Brown ginger, followed by garlic cloves. When garlics are browned, add water. Cover pot with lid and let it boil.
(4) When rolling boiled, add ikan bilis cube, tomato wedges, mushrooms, preserved veggies/ pickled mustard, and return pan fried yam stripes. Lower heat to low fire and let it simmer for 30 minutes, with lid on.
(5) Add fish, wolf berries, tofu and Chinese cabbages. Continue to simmer for another 15 minutes. Add sugar, salt and pepper during the simmering process. Heat off. Transfer into traditional Chinese hotpot or just serve it direct in the cooking pot. Garnish before serve.
Cooking in excess for a meal, I’d portion it out and store it in the refrigerator for making bee hoon soup the next day. So, this recipe is suitable for at least 4-5 people.
Each portion contains less than 350 calories, excluding steamed rice.
Teochew Style Fish Head Steamboat Tips
- You have the freedom to choose the types of fish head, meat, or slices according to your preference. Personally, I enjoy combining two different types of fish, but feel free to opt for just one type and any preferred parts of the fish.
- Preserved vegetable, also known as pickled mustard (salty and sour type 咸酸菜), is readily available in major supermarkets and neighborhood grocery stores. When selecting, look for those labeled as sour rather than salty pickles. If you can’t find them, you can use the usual preserved salty vegetable, but be prepared to steep it for a longer time as the pure salty type can be overly salty. Additionally, consider adding 1-2 preserved salty water plums (咸水梅) available in small glass bottles or jars at supermarkets or grocery shops.
- To expedite the process, you can use ikan bilis stock cubes for a quick step. However, if you prefer an authentic touch, opt for real ikan bilis (dried anchovies). Rinse them a few times, place them in a steeping bag, and then add them to the cooking.
- Before adding salt, taste the soup first, as it might already have a briny flavor from the preserved veggies and ikan bilis. Adjust the salt accordingly for the perfect balance.
- If you prefer a more watery soup, simply add more water. Feel free to adjust the portions according to your preference when cooking at home, as long as the basic ingredients are included.
Do you like this dish ? You can also like my hot pot dishes
Such as Hotpot Recipes and Cooking Tips
Or
A Simple Steamboat Dinner at Home
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