Home remedy to cure phlegm: Braised Croaker Fish with Radish

What do you do when you have runny nose with phlegm stuck in your throat?

Grab the car keys and your wallet, visit the nearest clinics or pharmacy for medications?

This is a common practice for anybody who wants instant treatment to get rid of the pesky phlegm that gets you clearing your throat as if you are gearing up a motor!

What about home remedies?

There are some home remedies that worked out for some people.

The most easiest and common ingredient are garlic, cinnamon or honey.

What about radish, have you tried it?

When I was young, mom usually would cook Braised Croaker with White Radish to cure those pesky thick phlegm.

Do you know that white radish benefits in reducing the thickness of the phlegm mucus if you drink raw blended white radish juice?

Although it may taste bitter alike flu pills, it worked out well by expelling the phlegm gradually.

However, mom knew that I won’t drink the radish juice. So, she thought of a way to cook the radish with my favorite croaker fish.

This can be easily done if you pre-boil the white radish first before combining it with the cooked braised croaker fish.

Peel the white radish, then cut them into sticks or wedges. Bring a pot of water to boil, add in the radish to soften them. You don’t have to add in any seasoning because you will need the radish soup for the fish stew.

Although it may taste bitter, spicy bean paste would do the perfect job in masking the bitter flavor that your kids might not be able to sniff it out.

You could buy the spicy bean paste in the supermarket under the spice department where they are usually sold in small jars. Look out for bean paste, spicy bean paste, dou ban jiang or salted soya bean paste.

One tablespoon of this paste is sufficient to enhance a flavorful croaker fish with radish that will enhance your sick child’s appetite.

Here is the recipe for Braised Croaker Fish with White Radish

Ingredients:

1 medium white radish-peeled and cut into rectangle lengths
1 fresh Braised Croaker Fish or Red Snapper-scales removed and cleaned
1 stalk Chinese celery-cut into sections
3 slices of young ginger
2 clove garlic-peeled and chopped
2 tbsp salted soya bean paste ( Taucheo)
1/2 tsp sugar
White pepper to taste

Method:

Cut the croaker fish into halves.
Sprinkle a little salt of both sides.
Coat with a little flour on both sides in order to avoid splattering oil when deep frying.
Bring a wok to heat, pour in sufficient oil to fry the fish.
When the oil is hot, slip in the cut fish into it.
Deep fry until both sides are brownish.
Remove from heat, set aside.
Remove the excess oil but leave 1 tbsp in the wok.
Saute the ginger and garlic until aromatic.
Toss in white radish sticks, stir fry for a few minutes.
Pour in 1 cup of water, allow the radish to simmer for 10min.
Then, toss in the Chinese celery and salted soya bean paste, stir again to ensure the bean paste is diluted into the gravy.
Slip in the cooked croaker cuts, cover the wok with a lid for another 5min.
Season with white pepper before turn off heat.
The gravy should be reduced and thickens, radish are soft when poked.
Serve hot with brown or white rice.