Hee Pio

Soup with Fishballs, Meatballs, Fish Maw and Cabbage

To serve this soup authentically, you will need some intricate fish paste rolled in egg
omelette. I have included the preparation technique for them. However, you could also
simplify the soup, but the absence of the cut-up fish paste omelette roll would be well
noted in a fastidious and traditional Baba family.

Hee pio soup derives its name from the dried fish maw in it. Apparently, the best ones
are large and straight, not too curled up. When I inspected the ingredients list on a packet
of fish maw more closely, it indicated that these better fish maw often come from eels.
I personally do not use these.

The soup is best cooked on the day of serving. You can prep the individual components
and assemble a new bowl for each serving. Warming up leftover soup too many times
breaks up the fish maw and cabbage and may make the soup cloudy. In fact, throw in the
cabbage just 10 minutes prior to serving your soup so that it does not overcook.

58  Growing Up in a  Nonya Kitchen ~ Chinese New Year