Night-Blooming Jasmine Fish-Tail Soup (Ye Xiang Hua Yu Wei Tang)

Why people make this soup

When night-blooming jasmine (ye xiang hua) returns to the markets, Nourilo is glad — it’s the flower that gives the famous winter-melon-pot dish its lovely fragrance. The flowers smell sweet and clean, and stir-fry beautifully with egg or meat. In traditional food-therapy thinking they “clear the liver and brighten the eyes” and help dispel stale, foul odours. Simmered into a grass carp tail or lean pork soup, the dish is enjoyed to freshen the breath and ease mouth discomfort.

Method

1. Rinse the jasmine flowers; slice the lean pork.
2. Clean the grass carp tail and pan-fry in a little oil until fragrant.
3. Add all ingredients to about 5 cups of water and simmer roughly 20 minutes, until reduced to 1.2 L.
4. Serve, eating the soup and the ingredients together.

Nourilo’s Tips

This soup is delicious and suitable for the whole family, young and old. It is also said to help children with whooping cough and wheezing. Adding tofu makes it even better. If you cannot find night-blooming jasmine, spearmint (the kind used in Vietnamese and Thai cooking), or coriander and spring onion, can stand in to help freshen the breath.