Tried making soup from leftover bok choy and anchovy paste

I had a sad bunch of bok choy and some anchovy paste from a recipe last week, so I threw them in a pot with chicken broth and onions. The anchovy was way too strong and it tasted like fishy broccoli water. Has anyone else had a random combo totally backfire on them?

3 comments

3 Comments

graym4910d ago

So I actually gotta push back a little on the bok choy and anchovy thing. Bok choy is pretty delicate and mild, so throwing anchovy paste at it is basically dumping a fish bomb in there. The paste is super concentrated, you really only need like a quarter teaspoon for a whole pot of soup. I'd try using a tiny bit of fish sauce instead next time, it's more subtle and blends in better. That way you get the umami without the fishy broccoli taste you ended up with.

jones.brooke20h ago

Also, anchovies and bok choy are actually a classic Cantonese stir-fry combo.

gavinp4410d ago

Is it just me or does this hit on a bigger thing people forget? We always think more flavor means better, but it's like texting in all caps. You just drown out everything else. The same thing happens with spice or salt or even music volume. People crank it up to 11 and wonder why the whole thing falls apart. Bok choy is quiet and light, you gotta match the energy of your ingredients or you just bulldoze them. Graym49 was right on the money with that fish sauce tip, a little nudge goes way further than a shove. Sometimes the secret is knowing when to back off.