Crucian carp and tofu soup with garlic long beans
Crucian carp fried then boiled hard into a milky, sweet broth with tofu, served with garlicky long beans — light, damp-draining and comforting.
- 55 min
- Serves 3
- Boil
- Medium
Why it suits you: Phlegm-damp types feel heavy with a thick, greasy tongue coating, and the rains of Grain Buds let damp build up. Crucian carp strengthens the spleen and drains damp, tangerine peel moves qi and resolves phlegm and tofu keeps it light; with a plate of long beans, this soup-and-vegetable dinner leaves you feeling lighter.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 40 min- 1Clean the fish, pat dry with kitchen paper and rub with a little salt.
- 2Heat the oil with the ginger and fry the fish until golden on both sides. Pour in the boiling water, add the tangerine peel and boil hard for 20 minutes until the soup turns milky.
- 3Add the tofu and boil for 5 minutes more, season with salt and scatter with coriander.
- 4In another pan, fry the garlic in oil, add the long beans and 3 tbsp water and stir-fry for 5 minutes until cooked through, then season with salt.
Cautions
- Crucian carp has many fine bones; strain the soup for children and older people.
- Long beans must be cooked through.
Chef's tips
- Fry the fish thoroughly before adding boiling water and keep the heat high for a milky soup; put the fried fish in a muslin bag if you're worried about bones.
The TCM view
Crucian carp is sweet and neutral, strengthening the spleen and draining water. Tofu is sweet and cool, harmonising the middle; long beans are sweet and neutral, strengthening the spleen and resolving damp. Tangerine peel is pungent, bitter and warm, regulating qi and drying damp, and ginger warms the middle. Together they strengthen the spleen, drain damp and resolve phlegm.
