Stir-fried fish slices with celery and lily bulb
Bright green celery, snowy lily bulb and silky fish slices, scented with tangerine peel — fresh, colourful and mood-lifting.
- 30 min
- Serves 3
- Stir-fry
- Easy
Why it suits you: Qi Stagnation brings low mood and irritability, and sticky Minor Heat shortens tempers. Celery calms the liver, lily bulb settles the heart and tangerine peel moves qi; light fish in red, white and green makes a cheerful plate that won't sit heavy.
Method
Prep 20 min · Cook 10 min- 1Mix the fish with a pinch of salt, the cornflour and a few drops of sesame oil and marinate for 10 minutes. Soak the tangerine peel until soft and cut into fine shreds.
- 2String the celery and cut on the diagonal; slice the carrot. Separate the lily bulb into petals and rinse.
- 3Bring half a pan of water to the boil with a little oil, slide in the fish for 30 seconds until just white, then drain. Blanch the celery and carrot for 1 minute and drain.
- 4Heat a little oil in a wok, fry the ginger and peel until fragrant, then add the celery, carrot and lily bulb and stir-fry for 1 minute.
- 5Add the fish and fold gently, season with salt, thicken with a splash of cornflour water and serve with rice.
Chef's tips
- Poaching the fish briefly in oiled water first keeps it silky and stops it breaking up. Add the lily bulb last so it stays crisp.
The TCM view
Celery is sweet, bitter and cool and calms the liver; lily bulb is sweet and slightly cold and calms the mind; tangerine peel is pungent, bitter and warm, and its fragrance moves qi; grass carp is sweet and warm and settles the stomach, balancing the cooler vegetables; carrot is sweet and neutral. Fragrant and balanced, it eases stagnation and calms the heart.
