Fish soup


	Fish soup II		Serves 2 - 3

	Soak a small handfull of dried Chinese Judas ear mushrooms in water.

	Cut fillets of about 1/2 kilo of firm white fish into pieces of about 1 1/2 to 2 inches. Add some Chinese cooking wine (substitutes: Saké or Sherry) salt, pepper and some more chopped chilies, mix and leave to marinate.

	Saute 2 minced cloves of garlic and a small slivered piece of galgant root ( you can use fresh ginger instead, but the taste will not be the same) and in small amount of vegetable oil, add a few sliced hot red chilies.

	Cut mix of vegetables into fitting pieces; this is a good recipe to use up your leftover vegetable bits. What I found in my fridge was: 1/2 celery stick, 1 carrot, 1/2 red bell pepper and a good amount of pak choy. Add vegetables, soaked mushrooms and sufficient amount of water to pan. Add a stick of lemon grass cut into 2 or 3 pieces (to be removed before serving). Simmer only a few minutes, add fish pieces, simmer another few minutes, add a few handfuls of cooked saffron rice and chopped coriander leaves. (If you don't like coriander, add parsley.)

	The vegetables should still be crisp and retain their colours.

	If you use plain rice instead of saffron rice, add a bit of saffron or curcuma to the soup together with the vegetables. A few shrimps would also make a nice addition to the soup.

	Sprinkle soup generously with fragrant Chinese sesame oil.

	In a small bowl mix a bit of rice vinegar with the same amount of soy sauce, add chopped green chilies, serve to individually spice the soup with.


	Source:
	One of those "on the spot" creations using whatever I found in my fridge and cupboards.

Fish soup II