Fish soup with mushroom and yam 山药鲜鱼汤

  2013 is a snake year on Chinese calendar. Wish you all have a wonderful happy snake year! And I'm sorry for not updating for 2 weeks. I will make it up with better cooking receipts in the rest of the year, healthier, more testy, fresh cooking receipts for all of you.
  Based on the Chinese herb medical books, Chinese yam is a very useful food. Good for lungs and stomach. There are so many ways to make yummy yam and cook in a soup is one of it. In this soup, Chinese red dates, gouqi berry and dragon eyes are all optional.
 2013是中国的蛇年，在这里祝大家蛇年大吉。这两个星期都没有更新，实在是太抱歉啦。不过在接下来的一年里我会带给大家更多健康美味的烹饪构思当作补偿咯。山药在食疗中真的是大将一枚，滋阴润肺，健脾。山药的美味烹饪法太多了，煮烫就是其中一种。这款汤中的红枣，枸杞和龙眼肉都是可选食材，没有也不是太大问题。

Ingredients:  1.5 lb fish (with bones and skin) lean well, 6 mushroom sliced, 1 tomato diced, a little bit cilantro, 2 tbsp chopped spring onion, 4 small Chinese red dates, 2 dried dragon eyes ( fresh is better) or 2 fresh leechee, 10-15 Gouqi berry (optional), salt, ground white pepper, 6 slice fresh ginger,  2 cups yam peel and cut into 1 inch chunks (save in water) , 7cups water, 1 tsp whole black peppercorn    

食材：带骨带皮的鱼1条，6个香菇切片，1个西红柿切钉，香菜适量，2汤匙香葱末，4颗小红枣，2颗干龙眼肉（新鲜的更好）或2颗荔枝，10－15 枸杞，盐，白胡椒粉，6片生姜，2杯切块山药，7杯水，1茶匙整颗黑胡椒

Instructions 步骤：

1: Clean the fish, put 2 slices of ginger inside of fish. Medium heat heat up 1.5 tsp oil in a pan, add fish to slightly sear both sides. Transfer the fish to a soup bowl when both sides are a little bit brown.

1：鱼清理干净后在肚内放入2片生姜。中火在平底锅内热油，将鱼的两面煎至微黄后再将鱼转移至汤锅中。

2: In the soup bowl add 7 cups of water, whole black pepper, 3 slices of ginger, 1 piece bay leaf. High heat to bring the whole thing to boil then reduce to low heat. Slow cooking for 45mins with the lid 90% partially cover the pot.

2：汤锅中加入7杯水，黑胡椒，3片姜，1片香叶。大火煮开后转小火。加盖只留一条小缝，慢煮45分钟。

3: Add the rest of the ingredients in the pot. Add 1/8 tsp ground white pepper, add salt based on your own taste. Cook for 30mins on low heat with the lid 90% partially cover the pot. Add cilantro right before you turn the stove off.

3：将剩余食材加入锅中。加入1／8茶匙白胡椒末，根据自己口味加入盐。加盖后慢煮30分钟，起锅前加入香菜。

Tips: Yam can be oxidized very easily. The beautiful white color turns to tiny brown very fast after the skin is peeled. So try to peel the skin under a running tap water, and save in a bowl with water cover the whole thing.

窍门：山药极易被氧化，去皮后很短的时间内就会变色。试试在自来水下去皮，切块后立刻泡入水中。