“This can be made into a hotpot-style soup base,” says Victor Liong. “It’s an exciting dish that showcases the depth of Hunan and Sichuan flavours. I like its vibrant acidity, which can be rare in Chinese cookery.”
Ingredients
Marinated fish
Chicken broth
Mustard-chilli oil
Method
1.For marinated fish, combine ingredients, except Murray cod, with 1½ tsp salt flakes and 1 tbsp water in a bowl,add fish and refrigerate for 30 minutes to marinate.
2.For chicken broth, bring ingredients (except lemon juice) and 1 tbsp salt to a simmer in a small saucepan. Keep warm.
3.Heat oil in a large wok over medium heat. Add coarsely chopped garlic and ginger, and stir-fry until garlic starts turning light golden (1-2 minutes). Add pickled greens and chilli and stir-fry until dry and wilted (4-6 minutes). Add broth, bring to a simmer and season to taste with lemon juice. It should be salty and sour.
4.Remove pickled vegetables and place in a serving dish. Bring soup in wok to the boil over medium-high heat, then add fish and stir gently to separate. Bring to a light simmer (about 40 seconds after adding fish), then remove from heat. Transfer soup and fish to serving dish with pickled vegetables.
5.Scatter over coriander, heap spring onion in the centre and top with finely chopped garlic.
6.For mustard-chilli oil, heat oils in a saucepan over high heat. When it starts smoking (1-2 minutes), add chilli and peppercorns, and stir quickly to infuse (a few seconds).
7.Pour hot mustard-chilli oil over finely chopped garlic to release the fragrance, stir into soup and serve immediately.
Pickled mustard greens and pickled green chillies are available from most Asian supermarkets. Fefferoni peppers are a great substitute for pickled green chillies. Mustard oil is available from Indian grocers.
Notes
