Free Food Recipes

Ingredients

• 900 g (2Ib) carp
• 1.5 liters (3 pints) stock
• 22 ml (1 1/2 tablespoons) corn flour
• 1 egg
• oil for deep- or semi-deep-frying
• 900 g (2 lb) noodles (or spaghetti)

soup:

• 1.5 liter (3 pints) stock
• 4 slice root ginger
• 10 ml (2 teaspoons) salt
• 225 g (1/2 lb) bamboo shoots
• 15 ml (1 tablespoon) dried shrimps
• 30 ml (2 tablespoons) soy sauce
• 2 chicken stock cubes
• pepper to taste
• 15 ml (1 tablespoon) corn flour blended in 60 ml (4 tablespoons) water

For Tossing with Noodles:

• 90 ml (6 tablespoons) coarsely chopped bean sprouts
• 60 ml (4 tablespoons) coarsely chopped spring onion
• 45 ml (3 tablespoons) lard (use oil if not available)
• 45 ml (3 tablespoons) vinegar

Serve 6

** Free Food Recipes **

Method:

1. Fillet the fish and retain the head, tail, skin and bones to boil in the stock with the ginger and 10 ml (2 tablespoons) salt for 45 minutes, for the soup.

2. Remove solid ,ingredients with a perforated spoon. Cut the bamboo shoots into thin slices. Dice the fish fillets into small cubes. Rub these with salt and corn flour, and wet them with the beaten egg. Deep-fry the cubes for 75 seconds in hot oil and drain them.

3. Add the bamboo shoots, dried shrimps and soy sauce to the soup and simmer for 30 minutes. Finally add the stock cube, fish and pepper. Stir and simmer for 5 minutes more. Stir in the corn flour mixture. The soup is now ready.

4. Prepare the noodles in the usual way by boiling for 5-6 minutes for Chinese noodles or 12-15 minutes for spaghetti, and drain.

5. Divide the chopped bean sprouts and spring onion equally among 6 large Chinese rice or noodle bowls. Put the drained noodles on top and pour in enough fish soup to cover and serve.

Note: According to legend this dish is so-called because when Emperor Chien-Lung of the Manchu Dynasty made his famous tour of the South, incognito, he was given a bowl of fish-soup noodles in a sampan. On enquiring who was the lady who cooked it, he was told the same was Sung. The term ’sister-in-law’ is often employed in China to indicate kinship and domestic endearment.