Yellow Croaker and Tofu Soup
A traditional Zhejiang-style thickened soup featuring yellow croaker and tofu as the main ingredients, finished with a cornstarch slurry for a fragrant, tender, and silky texture.
Ingredients
yellow croaker (scaled, gills and entrails removed, washed; steamed until cooked, removed from the steamer, deboned; flesh diced into small cubes)
1 (about 500 g)
tofu (diced into small cubes, blanched in boiling water to remove the bean odor)
250 g
egg white
1
diced cooked ham
to taste
salt
to taste
MSG
to taste
cooking wine (for coating and seasoning)
to taste
superior broth
to taste
cornstarch (for coating and thickening)
to taste
chopped scallion
to taste
sesame oil
to taste
white pepper
to taste
Instructions
1
Prepare the tofu
Dice the tofu into small cubes and blanch in boiling water to remove the beany smell.
2
Prepare the yellow croaker
Scale the yellow croaker, remove the gills and entrails, and wash thoroughly. Steam until cooked, then remove and debone; dice the flesh into small cubes. Transfer to a bowl with the egg white, then add salt, cooking wine, and cornstarch to coat.
3
Stir-fry the fish cubes
Heat oil in a wok until medium-hot (about 60% of full heat). Add the fish cubes and stir-fry just until they turn white, then drain in a colander.
4
Make the soup
In the wok, combine the fish cubes and tofu cubes. Pour in superior broth, add salt, white pepper, and cooking wine, and bring to a boil. Thicken lightly with cornstarch, drizzle with sesame oil, and sprinkle with diced cooked ham to finish.
