How to make ikan bilis stock

江鱼仔上汤

Some dishes taste better with ikan bilis (dried anchovies) stock e.g. rickshaw noodles and mee hoon kueh. The stock can be ready in less than 1 hour.

Ingredients (makes approximately 1 litre of stock)

30g ikan bilis

2 cloves of garlic (chopped finely)

1.5 litre water

Method:

1. Soak ikan bilis in water for half hour, drain and set aside.

2. Heat the wok with 2 to 3 tablespoons of cooking oil. When oil is hot, add ikan bilis and stir fry for a few minutes until the ikan bilis turns light brown. Then, add the chopped garlic and stir fry for another few minutes. Add water and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat and simmer for half an hour.  

2. Sieve the soup and remove the anchovies and garlic. For a 'cleaner' soup, filter the soup through a tea bag. The creamy white colour of the stock comes from the ikan bilis and it is packed with unami. 

Done!