This classic Cantonese soup, Fish Maw Creamed Corn Soup or 粟米魚肚羹, is a great general favorite with all, both young and old. Not only is this Chinese soup easy to make, Fish Maw Creamed Corn Soup is delicious, filling and comforting, a thick velvety broth full of a variety of pleasing textures and tastes.
The creamed corn gives a delightfully sweet crunch while the spongy fish maw absorbs the soup in a lusciously juicy way. And then there is still the tasty bits of Jin Hua ham and the tasty tendrils of delicately swirled egg. What a treat for dinner time!
First you will need some fried fish maw, or 魚肚, at your local wet market or your asian grocery market. The bottom photo is the fried fish maw as you buy it (looks a bit like fried pork skin) and the top photo is the fish maw after being prepared for the soup. Fish maw is the fish air bladder which allows the fish to control its buoyancy in the water. There are all kinds of fish maw, some kinds even asking prices up to the tens of thousands of HKD! (It's true I have seen this with my own eyes!)
The more expensive kind of fish maw is known as 花膠 instead of 魚肚. The Chinese believe that the fish maw has special nutritional value and (important!) will help your skin become or stay smooth and supple. But you know, it's not just an old folk's tale, it turns out that fish maw is chock full of collagen!
But don't worry folks, the fried fish maw we need for this soup is not the expensive kind! Once you've got yourself a bag of fried fish maw and some creamed corn you're ready to make this yummy, easy Chinese Fish Maw Creamed Corn Soup!
Fish Maw Creamed Corn Soup Recipe
粟米魚肚羹
(Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 23 mins)
Ingredients:
- 3 cups fried fish maw
- 3 slices ginger
- 1 spring onion, cut to 1" pieces
- 1 tbsp Shao Hsing rice wine
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 2 tbsp minced Jinhua ham (more about Jinhua Ham here)
- 1 can creamed corn
- 1 tsp potato starch
- 1 egg
- salt to taste
- white pepper to taste
- 3 tbsp coriander for garnish (optional)
Directions:
Soak fish maw in cool water for an hour or so to soften.
Prepare a pot of water enough to cover the fish maw. Once water is boiling, add your ginger, spring onions and rice wine. Let boil until fragrance is released, then add the fish maw. Boil the fish maw for 15-20 mins until soft. Once fish maw is soft, rinse well under cold water, slice into approx. 1" pieces and leave in a strainer to drain. (Discard the boiling water.)
Soak fish maw in cool water for an hour or so to soften.
Pour stock into a large pot. When boiled turn heat to down and add Jinhua ham. Let simmer for 3 minutes then add fish maw and simmer at medium heat for 15 minutes. Finally add the creamed corn and simmer for another 5 mins.
Prepare egg by beating lightly. Prepare starch by adding 11/2 tbsp water and stirring. In the last minute of cooking, add the starch (give it a stir first) and stir the soup until it thickens. It should be soupy but quite thick.
Remove from heat, slowly pour in the beaten egg in a thin stream while stirring the soup. The egg will flower into delicate threads. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot with coriander garnish if desired.
Soup-ilicious Delights at The Hong Kong Cookery:
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Is the dry fish maw the same as fried fish maw? Mine looks like yours in the recipe just not fried/brown. Would it make a difference if I used that instead?
ReplyDeleteFried fish maw is dried fish maw deep fried until puffy. It's texture is quite different, more spongy and absorbent when cooked with as compared to the smooth chewy stickiness of the dried fish maw when cooked. So I think better to use fried fish maw in this case other wise it would become a completely different soup. ~ellen
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