Tian Qi Leaf and Dace Fish Smooth Soup

Why people make this soup

Tian qi (san qi) is one of the most celebrated herbs in the Cantonese food-therapy tradition. The leaves of the tian qi plant have long been used in soups to support healthy blood flow — they are milder than the dried root and pleasant to eat as a vegetable. Pairing them with scraped dace gives this soup its famously smooth, almost velvety texture: boneless, fragrant, and satisfying. Nourilo loves this dish for how effortlessly it blends health intention with genuine comfort-food pleasure.

Method

1. Refrigerate the live or fresh dace fish for one day. This firms the flesh and makes it possible to scrape out a smooth, boneless paste using a spoon — fresh fish is too soft to scrape effectively.
2. Rinse the tian qi leaves thoroughly. Bring 2.4 L of water to a boil with the ginger slices.
3. Use a spoon to scoop the scraped fish meat into the simmering broth in rough spoonfuls. It will set into smooth, tender pieces almost immediately.
4. Add the tian qi leaves and simmer for a further 5–8 minutes until the leaves are just wilted.
5. Season lightly with salt and serve hot, eating both the broth and all the ingredients.

Nourilo’s Tips

The key trick to this soup is patience with the fish: a freshly caught dace is too slippery and soft to scrape. One day in the refrigerator changes everything — the flesh firms up and can be scraped off cleanly, leaving not a single bone behind. The result is smoother than any minced fish from a shop. If you cannot find tian qi leaves, Chinese cabbage (bai cai) or goji leaves are gentle, nutritious substitutes that work beautifully in this broth. If you are on blood-thinning medication, use the alternative leaves rather than tian qi.