Rain Water · Dinner · Damp-Heat
Watercress & dace fish ball soup
Hand-shaped dace fish balls simmered with late-season watercress — a quick, light soup that clears heat and damp.
- 35 min
- Serves 3
- Quick soup
- Easy
CoolingClears heat & dampStrengthens digestion, drains water
Why it suits you: Damp-Heat shows up as a bitter taste, spots and dark urine, and Rain Water's muggy 'south wind' days make it heavier. Watercress clears heat and promotes urination, dace drains water, and a quick soup stays light and grease-free.
Method
Prep 20 min · Cook 15 min- 1Soak the watercress in lightly salted water for 10 minutes, rinse each stalk well, trim off the old roots and separate stems from leaves.
- 2Mix the fish paste with the tangerine peel, spring onion, cornflour and 3 tbsp cold water, stirring in one direction until springy.
- 3Bring the water and ginger to the boil and cook the watercress stems for 5 minutes.
- 4Turn the heat to medium. With a wet hand, squeeze the paste up through your fist into small balls and scrape them into the soup with a spoon; simmer 3–4 minutes until they float.
- 5Add the watercress leaves for 2 more minutes, season with salt and serve hot with rice.
Cautions
- If your digestion runs cold or you get loose stools easily, go easy on this soup or add a couple more slices of ginger.
Chef's tips
- Fish-stall dace paste is usually already seasoned, so there's no need to salt the paste.
- Keep the soup at a gentle simmer — a hard boil can break up the fish balls.
The TCM view
Watercress is sweet and cold; it clears heat, moistens the lungs and promotes urination. Dace is sweet and neutral, strengthens digestion and drains water; a little tangerine peel moves qi and dries damp, and two slices of ginger warm and protect the stomach. Cooling but not harsh, it clears damp-heat without weakening digestion.
