American ginseng and sea bass soup over rice
Pan-fried sea bass bones simmered into a milky broth with American ginseng and tofu, then poured over rice with silky fish slices — light, sweet and restorative without heating.
- 55 min
- Serves 2
- Simmer
- Medium
Why it suits you: Great Heat brings fierce temperatures, and heavy sweating drains both qi and fluids, so a Qi-deficient constitution gets breathless, weak and sweaty. American ginseng boosts qi, nourishes yin and clears heat without the heating effect of Asian ginseng, sea bass strengthens the spleen and tofu clears heat — a light soup rice that is easy to eat even when you are exhausted.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 40 min- 1Fillet the sea bass and slice the fillets; season with a little salt and pepper. Pat the bones and head dry and rinse the ginseng.
- 2Heat the oil, fry the ginger until fragrant, then fry the fish bones until golden on both sides. Add 1 litre of boiling water and boil hard for 15 minutes until the broth turns milky.
- 3Strain out the bones, add the ginseng and simmer for 15 minutes, then add the tofu and simmer for 3 minutes.
- 4Add the fish slices and cook for 1 minute until just done. Season with salt, pour over hot rice and scatter with spring onion.
Cautions
- American ginseng is cooling: skip it if your digestion runs cold, you have diarrhoea or a cold is just starting.
Chef's tips
- Fry the bones until golden on both sides before adding boiling water; that is what makes the broth milky.
The TCM view
American ginseng is sweet, slightly bitter and cool, boosting qi, nourishing yin, clearing heat and generating fluids. Sea bass is sweet and neutral, strengthening the spleen, boosting qi and supporting the liver and kidneys; tofu is sweet and cool, boosting qi and moistening dryness, and ginger settles the stomach and removes fishiness. Together they replenish qi and yin without heating — ideal when summer sweating depletes a Qi-deficient body.
