A feeling of dryness in my throat reminds me of making this traditional Chinese soup (莞茜皮蛋魚片湯) I grew up eating, a soup known for curing sore throat.
But this is not a soup only for the sick. You may find it here in Hong Kong in almost all hot pot (aka steamboat) restaurants where this soup is served as one of the broths for poaching foods. What we believe is, hot pot, like deep frying, add heat to foods and thereby to our bodies. So I guess there comes the idea of including this soup, which is also said to be good for tempering heat, as a broth for hot pots.
This soup, however, not too often healed my soar throat. Yet it did help soothing the syndromes like swollen gum and dried throat usually happened when I went to bed late.
I love the aroma of boiled coriander. While the soup was being cooked, my kitchen simply smelled gorgeous. Besides, it is quick to prepare and tastes delicious.
- Ingredients
- 8-10 sprigs coriander (also commonly called cilantro)
- 1 century egg
- 150g fish fillet
- 3 cups water
- salt to taste
- sesame oil, optional
- 1 tsp julienned ginger, optional
- Marinades for fish fillet
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp ground white pepper
- 1/4 tsp corn starch
- 1/8 tsp oil
Method
Rinse fish fillet, pat dry, then cut it into about 1/4cm thick slices. Marinade them and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes. The most popular type of fish used for making this soup is grass carp, but the tilefish I used this time is also very nice.
Rinse corianders (soak them in water before rinsing will help remove dirts); discard any bruised leaves, scrape roots but leaving them intact.
Shell the century egg. Rinse it, quarter, and dice them into your preferred sizes.
In a pot and over high heat, bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Add in diced century egg and sprigs of rinsed coriander. As soon as the water boils again, switch to low-medium heat. After a couple of minutes, the soup will turn foamy. To prevent it from spilling over, rest the lid slightly opened.
Keep boiling for about 15 minutes when the soup become greenish grey, then add in fish slices and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes or till they are done. Before putting in fish fillet, I remove the cooked coriander sprigs to avoid them strangling the meat. But the corianders are tasty and good for eating.
Serve hot, add salt to taste and enjoy with a dash of ginger slivers and sesame oil.
- Category: Egg . Fish . Herb and Spice .
- 29 comments
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Oh wow…soup for soar throat. Didn’t know such a soup exist…haha. I must remember. But it would be great for normal days also….so nutritious and looks very delicious. I love coriander, too. Thanks very much for sharing.
I seldom see so much coriander added into soups but I do not mind them at all! I like coriander …and this soup is completely new to me
I love fish fillet and century egg in porridge. These ingredients go well in a soup based broth too. Delicious looking soup.
Same to me. My mother used to cook this soup for us whenever we complain of having a soar throat.
Had lots of them (with some fish brisket ( at the chef table when I worked in a Cantonese restaurant…didn’t know it is a cure against the sore throat…can’t find snakehead here….
Such unique ingredients in this delicious soup with the fresh coriander and the century egg – excellent!
wow, I’ve never had this before! Have to keep this in mind.
I must try this
The soup look very tasty since I love coriander…haven’t had century eggs for centuries
I’ve never tried this soup before but I love Chinese soups and this sounds yummy and nutritious
Hi There,
Thanks to a reader who emailed me about my typos, mis-spelling sore as soar. Corrections made, sorry for any confusions!
I love century eggs, normally I eat them with congee. Your soup looks super comforting!
@Cooking Gallery, Yes, we also have here a popular congee made with century egg and salted pork, which is also known for relieving heat.
I think a sore throat just has to run its course, unfortunately. But hot tea with honey and lemon, as well as restorative, delicious soups like this definitely do help make a body feel better.
Looking very healthy soup! My husband will love this. He is a big fan of cilantro. Thanks for sharing.
I’ve never heard of it curing sore throats, but it’s delicious, so I’d eat it anyway
That’s great to know that!! I love it that Hong Kong cooks are always into natural remedy, especially soothing and delicious soups for curing small ailments. It’s genius, and not to mention Cantonese cooks make the BEST SOUP EVER, hands down!!!
I made this recipe and it was good! Definitely hit the spot and I like how simple it is.
@Jackie,
Thank you for advising me. I’m so glad that you like it. I bet you will find it even quicker to prepare as you should ‘own’ this recipe next time.
Oohh….my mum makes this soup =D I love it! haha….
didn’t know that it was good for sore throats though…..
I definitely want to try this. What a wonderful blog – please continue posting your yummy food online.
@JJ,
Many thanks! I’d love to, and also love to have you coming back to fuel my desire for posting.
Hi! I tried this today and it was really delicious. Hubby loved it too. Am trying your tofu cake tomorrow. Do you have a recipe for steamed fish?
@JJ,
Thanks for your feedback again, and I’m so happy that both you and your hubby enjoyed the soup.
I also made the tofu cakes the other day. I sautéed the chopped mushrooms and carrots with oil before adding them into the tofu, and that variation infused some more flavors into the patties. But if you like a lighter version, just go for the original recipe.
Yes, I always make steamed fishes. The reason for not posting any yet is that I don’t take pictures fast enough. Yet, I want the fishes to be served hot immediately after steamed. Hopefully, I’ll find a way to make it happen here soon.
I don’t mind this when I have or don’t have sore throat. Sounds yummy.
Will certainly give it a try! Cilantro and century eggs are both my favorite food. I can imagine how soothing it tastes.
Just tried this tonight. It’s wonderful. I vaguely remember how it tasted like when my mom made this long long time ago in HK. This brings back my memory on how much I loved this soup back then. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
@Grace,
Wonderful to hear you like this. And hope your kid is going to love yours.
I don’t need an excuse of sore throat to make this delicious soup