Spicy Mackerel and Lup Cheong Soup

While the vast majority of the recipes I've shared with you so far have been from various cookbooks that I've modified in one way or another, this one I've made up myself, with the exception that I used the same soup base as the Spicy Prawn and Lup Cheong soup from before.

I love tom yum paste!  (I've even been known to eat a spoonful of it straight from the jar.)  I got such a craving for it today that I felt compelled to make a spicy soup tonight.  I also couldn't decide whether I wanted fish or meat, so I added both.  The tom yum soup base is absolutely delicious, and it's easy to make it your own flavor by adding anything you want like I did here.

photo by Emily

Spicy Makerel and Lup Cheong Soup

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. tom yum paste
1 c. water
3 Tbsp. coconut milk
1 Thai chili
small handful dried rice stick noodles
1/2 fillet mackerel, transparent skin removed and bones taken out
1 lup cheong (Chinese sausage)
3 medium sized leaves bok choy
1 spring onion (scallion/green onion)

Boil water in a pot and add the rice noodles.  Cook 6 - 8 min. until white and tender, then remove from the pot and drain.  Add the tom yum paste to the pot and heat until fragrant, then add the water, coconut milk, and chili.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 1 min. 

Cut the mackerel fillet into roughly 1 in. square chunks, and slice the lup cheong on the diagonal about 1/4 in. thick.  Add the fish and sausage to the soup base and continue to simmer until the fish is cooked.

Cut the spring onions into 1 in. lengths, and slice the bok choy leaves into bite-sized pieces.  Add the vegetables to the soup and simmer for another 2 or so min.  Add the cooked rice noodles and continue to cook just until the noodles are reheated.

To serve, spoon the noodles into a serving bowl first, then spoon the rest of the soup over top.