Spicy and Sour Fish Soup

Sour fish soup or ‘suan tang yu’ is a study in rustic, wholesome cooking. In Beijing, live freshwater fish is cooked with salted and pickled vegetables, and wood ear fungus in a basic pork stock. The flavours seep out of the pickles, infusing the fish with a pungent sourness, and the peppercorns add a spicy zing that lifts the sourness. I refined the dish using fish fillets instead of a whole fish and baby wood ear fungus.