Frost's Descent · Lunch · Phlegm-Dampness
Dace fish ball & cabbage soup rice noodles
Fish balls made from wet-market dace paste, simmered with cabbage in a clear broth over rice noodles — light, low-fat and filling.
- 27 min
- Serves 2
- Quick soup
- Easy
NeutralClears damp, aids digestionResolves phlegm
Why it suits you: Phlegm-Dampness brings heaviness and phlegm and calls for light, low-fat food in modest portions. Dace strengthens digestion and drains water, cabbage settles the stomach, and tangerine peel clears phlegm — a clear noodle soup that fills you without feeding the damp.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 12 min- 1Mix the fish paste with 1 tbsp water and a little white pepper, stirring in one direction until springy. With wet hands, squeeze out small balls.
- 2Bring the water to the boil with the tangerine peel and ginger and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the cabbage for 3 minutes until soft.
- 3Turn the heat to medium and drop in the fish balls one at a time. Simmer for 3–4 minutes until they float and turn white, then season with salt.
- 4Soak the noodles in boiling water or blanch them for 1 minute, divide between bowls, ladle over the soup and top with coriander.
Chef's tips
- Wet-market fishmongers sell ready-made dace paste; stir it a little longer for bouncier balls, and wet your hands so it doesn't stick.
The TCM view
Dace is sweet and neutral, building spleen qi and draining water; cabbage is sweet and neutral, settling the stomach and easing the bowels; tangerine peel is pungent, bitter and warm, moving qi, drying damp and resolving phlegm; ginger and white pepper warm the middle. Light and balanced, it clears damp without heaviness.
