Fish Slice & Bitter Gourd Porridge

In Singapore do you know where to eat the best fish soup or fish porridge? I believe for those who loves fish soup, you must have tried those stalls located at Amoy Street (厦门街) food centre, level 2 such as "Piao Ji Fish Porridge - 標記鱼粥" and "Han Kee Fish Porridge - 漢記鱼粥". But have you thought of cooking your very own version of Fish Soup with your desire ingredients. Today let's take a look on how easy we can prepared a homecook fish soup within 30 minutes by using some bitter gourd and fresh fish slices to cook teochew style fish porridge.

Bitter gourd clearing and refreshing which helps nourishing Qi, kidney and spleen, liver and improve eyesight effectiveness. It also has certain treatment effect on sores, heat stroke, fever, and other diseases. On the other hand, bitter gourd has high content of vitamin C, with prevention of scurvy, protect cell membrane and prevent atherosclerosis, improve stress ability such as the role to protect the heart. You can even use this as beauty products to achieve fairer skin with its moisture, calm and moisturizing the skin, especially in hot summer, apply it icy cold bitter gourd slices on the face can immediately lift the skin irritation.

Ingredients: (serves 2)
250g of Fresh Fish Slices
100g of Bitter Gourd, cut into thin slices
2 rice bowl of cooked rice
1 Tomato, cut into wedge
2 stalks of Spring Onion, cut into section
2 slices of Ginger
4 Stalks of Lettuce
800ml Water
Salt or Chicken cube for seasonings
Chopped Spring Onion and Parsley, garnish
Dry Shallot and Shallot Oil

Tips:

• You can use any kind of fish slices that are suitable for making soup such as: sheng yu, grouper, red snapper, mackerel and etc.
• If you buying the fish in the wet market you can also seek advice from the stall helper to get some good choice.
• f you are hesitated to eat bitter gourd due to it taste, you can rubbed some salt on the cut slices give is some squeeze, rinse it in water so as to reduce the bitterness taste.

From the steps below, you will notice that this is a very simple and nutritious soup which can be easily done in less than 30 minutes. And if you have time, you can prepared a pot of fish stock using fish bone and anchovies as main ingredients which will gives the stock an even more flavorful taste.

Method:
1. Prepared all the ingredients, preheat the soup pot with 1 teaspoon of oil, add spring onions and ginger and saute it until fragrant then add in bitter gourd and continue to fry for another 10 seconds, pour in 800ml of water.
2. Bring the mixture to boil again, add in fish slices and tomato cook for another 1 minute on medium high heat.
3. Turn off the heat, season with salt to taste.
4. Place each bowl of rice in a big soup bowl, scoop the hot soup mixture over the rice.
5. To serve garnish with some spring onion, coriander, shallot oil for extra flavour.

But if you prefer to have the soup and rice separately like normal fish soup with rice, you can always go ahead without adding the rice into the soup. For more information if you wish to read the Chinese version of the fish soup recipe, please click here. (Click HERE for recipe)