Chrysanthemum, winter melon & fish slice rice noodle soup
Delicate fish slices, winter melon and Chinese celery in a clear chrysanthemum broth with rice noodles — cooling, light and never greasy.
- 30 min
- Serves 2
- Quick soup
- Easy
Why it suits you: Damp-Heat shows up as a bitter taste and breakouts, and the warm, humid days of Awakening of Insects make it worse. Chrysanthemum clears liver heat, winter melon and Chinese celery drain damp, and fish keeps it light without heating — 20 minutes at home.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 15 min- 1Mix the fish with a pinch of salt and the cornflour. Peel and deseed the winter melon and slice thinly. Cut the celery into short lengths.
- 2Steep the chrysanthemum in 1 litre of boiling water for 5 minutes, then strain, keeping a few petals for garnish.
- 3Add the ginger and winter melon to the chrysanthemum broth and boil hard for 8 minutes until the melon turns translucent. Season with salt.
- 4Cook the rice noodles in a separate pan of boiling water until soft (about 5 minutes, or as the packet says), drain and put into bowls.
- 5Bring the soup back to the boil, add the fish and celery and cook for 1–2 minutes until the fish turns white. Turn off the heat and pour over the noodles.
Cautions
- If you are sensitive to chrysanthemum or daisy-family pollen, leave out the flowers and add a little more celery.
Chef's tips
- Once the fish goes in, don't boil it long — turn off the heat as soon as it turns white so it stays silky.
The TCM view
Chrysanthemum is sweet, bitter and slightly cold, clearing liver heat and brightening the eyes; winter melon is sweet, bland and cool and drains water; Chinese celery is sweet and cool, calming the liver and draining damp; sea bass is sweet and neutral and supports digestion without heat, and two slices of ginger protect the stomach. A clear, low-oil broth clears damp-heat gently.
