Sliced Fish Soup with Dry Noodles

When we talk about healthy Chinese dishes, one of the top foods any Singaporean would recommend is sliced fish soup. In fact, it is the first dish on The Straits Times’ 10 healthier food options at hawker centres! This savoury bowl of hot soup proves that healthy foods can be both comforting and delicious at the same time. Hence, here is our recipe for sliced fish soup with dry noodles that you can easily make at home!

Sliced fish soup with dry noodles

Chee Seng Oil & Double Pagoda

At less than 200 kcal per bowl, sliced fish soup is one of the lowest calorie hawker foods. But as it is loaded with natural ingredients like cabbage, lean fish, and tomato, it is still filling and bursting with flavour. To ease some of the preparations of this classic sliced fish soup recipe, we have gotten the help of Chee Seng Double Pagoda Specialty oils!

Chee Seng Oil is a 65-year-old locally grown Singaporean brand that needs no introduction to locals. Its top product, the renowned Chee Seng 100% Pure Sesame Oil, has been sold since 1956. All Singaporeans can testify for its quality and robust flavours, and it is a must-have condiment in every household.

Producing healthy condiments and bringing convenience to the kitchen is Chee Seng’s key focus. Hence, under the sub-brand Double Pagoda, they have developed a whole range of specialty oils to enhance your food and save time in food preparation too!

With a rang of Double Pagoda specialty oils, cooking is so much easier and just as tasty!

In the sliced fish soup with dry noodles recipe, you will see how we saved time and effort to make fried garlic, fried shallot, and ginger by replacing them with Double Pagoda’s garlic, shallot, and ginger oils. No flavours or aromas are sacrificed with the ingredient swap, food waste is also reduced as the oils have a longer shelf life!

Here are the ingredients that you will need: Red grouper fish fillet, salt, white pepper, Chinese cooking wine, Double Pagoda 100% Pure Sesame Oil, Double Pagoda ginger oil, cornstarch, minced pork/chicken, light soy sauce, napa cabbage, tofu, tomato, dried fish sole, fish bouillon soup cube, water, dried seaweed, Double Pagoda garlic oil, yellow noodle, sambal chilli, and Double Pagoda shallot oil.

Let’s get started with the first step!

Marinate the fish and meat

Before slicing the fish fillet, place it in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.

#Tip: Freezing the fish slightly makes it easier to slice as the meat would be firmer.

Slice into your desired thickness. Ours is less than 1 centimeter thick.

Place the fish slices into a bowl and add in the salt, white pepper, and Chinese cooking wine. Mix well.

Mix well to season the fish slices

Lastly, add in the sesame oil, ginger oil, and cornstarch.

We chose Double Pagoda’s 100% Pure Sesame Oil to season and add fragrance to the fish with its lovely sesame flavour. Meanwhile, Double Pagoda’s Ginger Oil has a freshness that helps to counter any fishy smell. The oils combined with the cornflour will produce a “velveting” effect that smoothens the texture of the fish for a nice bite.

Give the fish a good mix again to combine all the ingredients then cover and let it marinate for 30 minutes.

One great tip that our home cook Pei Wen has taught us is to always add the oil as the last step for the marinade. If the oil is added first, its slickness will prevent the other seasoning from being absorbed into the meat. On top of that, when the oil is added last, it helps to lock in the flavours and moisture of the meat. What a great tip, isn’t it?

Add the oils last to allow the fish slices to absorb the seasonings first

For the minced meat, add all the ingredients into a bowl. You can use either minced pork or chicken, depending on your preference.

Give it a good mix, cover, and set aside with the fish to marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Mix the minced meat and let it marinate for 30 minutes

Make the soup base and cook the ingredients

To cook the fish soup base, add all the soup ingredients into a pot and bring it to a boil for 15 minutes.

Our key ingredient for this recipe that adds great flavour and depth to the fish soup is the dried sole fish. If you have always wondered how to achieve the delicious flavour of fish soup, well now you know!

After 15 minutes of boiling, remove the sole fish from the pot.

Remove the dried fish sole from the soup after 15 minutes of boiling

Add in the tomato and napa cabbage and let the soup simmer for 3 minutes.

Remember to check on the water level and add in more hot water if needed. Also, do a taste test to see if more fish bullion is needed to adjust the taste.

Add the vegetables to the soup to cook

To form meatballs from the minced meat, use a teaspoon to help shape the minced meat into equal round balls.

Add the balls into the soup to let them cook for 1-2 minutes or until they float to the surface.

Form meatballs with a teaspoon and add them to the soup

Lastly, add in the sliced fish and tofu as these only take 1 minute to cook.

Turn off the heat once the fish is cooked through.

Add the fish and tofu to the soup to cook for 1 minute

Cook the dry noodles, assemble and serve.

In a pot with boiling water, add in the noodles and cook as per the instructions on the packaging.

While the noodles are cooking, add all the seasoning on a plate and mix well. For extra oomph, we used Double Pagoda’s Shallot Oil for some additional flavour and fragrance while keeping the noodles from sticking together!

Add the cooked noodles to the seasoning and mix well with the sauce.

Mix the noodles with the sauce

Ladle the soup into a serving bowl and garnish with some dried seaweed, spring onion, and a touch of Double Pagoda’s Garlic Oil for an aromatic finish.

And your sliced fish soup with dry noodles is done!

Garnish the soup and serve immediately with the dry noodles!

This sliced fish soup with dry noodles is the perfect comfort meal to have on a rainy day. It is super fragrant with the blend of different Chee Seng oils used in the recipe and nourishing to the body.

Warm, savoury, and full of healthy proteins and vegetables, this meal is healthy and delicious at the same time! You can also choose to add some evaporated milk to the soup for extra creaminess but we think the clear soup is already perfect on its own.

Get the recipe here below!