Sister Song S Soup Chinese Fish Soup

Sister Song’s Soup: Historic and Hugely Practical

In a world where food trends are constantly coming and going, I love a dish that is super satisfying but that’s been around for decades or even centuries. Foods like porridge (think congee, grits, or oatmeal) are rarely fashionable but people have eaten them for countless generations because they are so satisfying and practical. The best foods help people live good lives – they’re cost effective, easy to make, nourishing, and enjoyable. People are more likely to keep cooking those foods and teach their children to make them, and the dishes survive as the people who cook them survive. Sister Song’s Soup from Hangzhou is such a dish. It’s a super flavorful and hearty fish soup, used as a national banquet dish that has been enjoyed by people in China for 800 years. Few dishes have this kind of traceable history, so this is a pretty special opportunity to appreciate the efforts of the cooks that came long, long before us.

Tasty to the Modern Palate

If you’re concerned that this ancient soup has a weird flavor profile, don’t worry! This soup takes all the things you love from both hot and sour soup and egg drop soup and combines them together. It’s like the best of both worlds, perfect for when you can’t decide on which one to make, though it takes it a step further. You’ll have the irresistibly fragrant essence of vinegar and white pepper that gives hot and sour soup its kick, as well as the umami chicken broth and egg of egg drop soup. But you’ll also have beautiful, tender slices of white fish to give the soup more substance and a hint of the sea. Perhaps most remarkable of all with Chinese fish soup is the very reason it’s so famous. The delicate cooking method, along with this special combination of ingredients, makes the fish taste just like crab meat. One of those ancient culinary innovations. 😉

This Chinese Fish Soup is Quicker and Better than Takeout

If you’re on the fence about whether to order takeout, there are three solid reasons to make it yourself:

You can make this soup from pantry ingredients + frozen fish fillets, so it’s really easy to keep everything on hand to make itThis unique soup isn’t available from your local takeout spotIt tastes just as addictive as hot and sour soup

While it is an easy dish to make, the flavor profile and novelty of the dish will have your guests thinking that you spent hours preparing it!

A Quick Tip on Preparing the Fish

I recommend steaming the fish fillet to get it perfect before adding it to the soup, so the texture is just right. Steaming it with ginger and green onion is the best way to get it to a silky texture and impart it with their fragrance. If you are using a skin-on fillet, you’ll want to remove any skin and bones and flake the fish apart, as shown below.

The Cooking Process

The process here is very straightforward: Piece of cake!

Final Thoughts

While the ingredient list may look lengthy, this is a super-simple dish to make. As I mentioned a moment ago, most of these things will already be in your pantry anyway. And it makes a substantial and satisfying soup. My husband and I have certainly had it as a main dish when we wanted a light yet hearty meal. More often than not though, I make this Chinese fish soup for dinner parties and celebratory occasions. I love it because it adds something extra and extravagant to the menu without taking much time or energy. I hope you enjoy this soup whether you serve it as a quick dinner or as an accompaniment to a great feast.