 Fish soup bee hoon at Food Junction in Singapore | |
| Alternative names | Fish head bee hoon |
|---|---|
| Course | Soup |
| Place of origin | Singapore |
| Region or state | Maritime Southeast Asia |
| Serving temperature | Hot |
| Main ingredients | Fish (usuallysnakehead, alsopomfret orbatang), fishstock or bones,bee hoon, water, oil,yams,milk |
Fish soup bee hoon, also known asfish head bee hoon, is aSingaporean soup-based seafood dish served hot usually withbee hoon. The dish is viewed as a healthy food bySingaporeans.[1] Catherine Ling ofCNN listed fish soup bee hoon as one of the "40 Singapore foods we can't live without".
Fish soup bee hoon has been available since at least the 1920s;[2] one source credits Swee Kee Fish Head Noodle House with creating the "definitive version" of the dish in the 1970s.[3]
Snakeheads are most commonly used for fish soup bee hoon.[4] Other stalls may offerpomfret,batang,[1] orgaroupa.[5] While fish heads or the whole fish may be used, some diners prefer having just fish slices. The fish soup is made out of either fish stock[4] or actual bones,[6] water, oil, yam,[7] and milk,[8][a] with vegetables[4] and select fruits.[7]
The noodle in the soup is oftenbee hoon, although a healthier alternative except forirritable bowel syndrome sufferers would be spaghetti made frombrown rice.[10] Another noodle variant would be fried noodles.[11] Additional ingredients include eggs,[9] anchovies, pepper, salt,[12] and alcoholic products such asbrandy,[4] Chinese wine,[6] orcognac,[13]chilli slices, friedshallots, and fish roe.[5] For thevegetarian version of the dish, fish meat is substituted with tofu.[14]
The fish is boiled and added to a bowl of fish soup.[4] The fish may also be fried.[4] The soup is boiled for about twenty minutes,[7] though a broth made from fish or pork bones boiled for several hours is sometimes used as a base.[1][12][6] The dish is served hot.[15]
Grace Chen ofThe Star writes that fish soup bee hoon is "to Singaporeans what thechar kway teow is toPenangites".[16] Catherine Ling ofCNN describes fish soup bee hoon as one of the "40 Singapore foods we can't live without".[4] Jin Hua Fish Head Bee Hoon was named the best fish soup bee hoon store in Singapore byTime Out Singapore in 2012.[17]
