Mint Omelet Broth 薄荷蛋湯

I hear you say "mint omelet in anchovies broth dirty bastard!" and see the disgusted expression that goes with that too! That was exactly what one of the tummies did - the disbelief and agony followed, thinking he would be eating some strange food tonight (he loved it straight away after the first taste! :). The temperature has continued to rise and we experienced the hottest night ever recorded for the month of November. I remembered this wonderfully refreshing childhood dish that takes only minutes to make might just take the edge off the heat a little, the result is this strange sounding but absolutely delicious dish (we often have tiny white baits added in the omelet, omit the anchovies if white baits are being used). I strongly urge everyone to give it a try, if you like it fantastic and if you don't it will only waste 20 minutes of your time!! This is also my oldest and dearest friend H's favourite dish.

P.S I also made a steamed pork with Sichuan preserved vegetable and a quick stir fried juicy asparagus with homemade chili oil.

serves 4 as part of a Chinese meal;

for the broth you'll need;

2 l of water

100g of dried anchovies, washed

salt and pepper to taste

simmer anchovies in boiling water for 30 minutes, strained

*or use 2 l of chicken stock if you wish

for the mint omelet you'll need;

4 free range eggs, add a dash of pepper, light soy sesame oil and a little grated ginger, beaten

2 bunches of mint, picked

Saute mint with a little oil for 30 seconds and pour beaten eggs over.

Lightly scramble til 70% cooked.

Add mint omelet into the prepared anchovies broth, simmer for 15 minutes.

Serve hot as part of your Chinese meal.