This macrobiotic carp soup, called koi koku, is an very nourishing 'tonic soup' for people who are weak, feeling fatigued or lacking in energy.
This is basically a miso soup made with carp and root vegetables like burdock and carrot. What's special, however, is that it is pressure cooked for a very long time until the bones of the carp are all soft.
Macrobiotic books usually recommend this macrobiotic carp soup for people who are weak with cancer or people recovering from surgery as well as new mothers who have just given birth - it helps the production of breast milk!
However, it may be taken by anyone who feels weak or low in energy, including those (especially women) who suffer from anaemia.
Ingredients for macrobiotic carp soup / koi koku
1 whole carp - if possible, buy a live carp and preferably a female carp with roe / eggs. If you cannot find carp, use any medium-sized freshwater fish. However, the carp is said to have some special qualities, so try your best to find one.
(In Singapore, fresh carp is sold at just one stall at the Chinatown market along Temple Street and, on rare occasions, even at NTUC Fairprice Supermarket.)
- burdock and carrot at least equal the weight of the carp. Eg if the carp weighs 1 kg, then have a mixture of burdock and carrot that weighs at least 1 kg in total.
Carrot gives better flavour, compared to the woody / herbal flavour of burdock, but burdock is more strengthening. So it is up to you to decide which to use more. The original macrobiotic carp soup recipe given by Michio and Aveline Kushi in their cookbooks uses only burdock.
- Small handful of bancha tea twigs
- Miso - use two-year barley miso (brown miso) in tropical climates and for better flavour
use three-year 'Hatcho miso' (black miso) in colder climates and for stronger effect.
- Grated ginger - small amount
- spring onion / fresh coriander leaves / chives / other fresh herbs for garnishing
Cooking method for macrobiotic carp soup / koi koku
- Have the fish monger kill the carp and remove only the guts. Leave everything else intact, including the head, scales, fins, tail and bones. Macrobiotic books say to also remove the "yellow bone" but I have yet to figure out what this is.
WARNING: even after the carp has been killed and the guts removed, it might still jump about for a few minutes. To avoid this and also for convenience in cooking, ask to have it chopped up.
- Clean the burdock and carrot by scrubbing with a brush, but do not remove the skin. Cut as you would shave a pencil, or into "match sticks". Immediately after cutting, soak burdock in water with some salt added, to prevent discolouration.
- In a large pressure cooker place the carp at the bottom, with the carrot and burdock on top of it. Add enough water to cover everything - but make sure the water does not fill up more than about 2/3 of the pressure cooker.
- Tie the banche tea twigs in a muslin / cotton cloth bag and add to the rest of the ingredients.
- Bring to the boil. Put on the pressure cooker lid and when pressure has risen, turn the heat down to low. Continue to pressure cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. When finished, leave to cool until pressure has dropped before opening the lid.
- You will have A LOT of macrobiotic carp soup. Divide into serving portions and set aside the extra portions that you do not wish to consume immediately. These can later be kept, refrigerated, for up to a week.
For the portion that you wish to take, scoop out some hot soup and dissolve some miso into it, about 1 tsp per small bowl, for a light salty taste. Pour the miso back into the soup and simmer gently - do not boil - for about three minutes. This gentle simmering is important. It stops the fermentation of the msio, but the heat will not be strong enough to kill the friendly bacteria in it.
- Grate some ginger and squeeze a few drops of ginger juice into the soup. Serve with chopped spring onions / coriander leaves / other garnishing herbs.
Enjoy!
Personally, I find this macrobiotic carp soup very delicious although I have heard people complain that it tastes awful. The one person I know who said it tasted bad had her maid do it and I suspect the maid did not do it right.
Note, however, that the freshness of the carp, choice of miso and other factors will affect the taste. Ideally, this macrobiotic carp soup should be prepared soon after you return from buying the carp. Do not refrigerate or freeze the carp for days before cooking.
Also, use a good quality, nice-tasting miso. The three-year Hatcho Miso recommended in most macrobiotic books have a strong taste that some people may not like. While this miso is more strengthening, it is better to take something milder and enjoy it, than to force it down your throat because it is supposed to be "good".
As mentioned earlier, however, Hatcho Miso is generally considered too strong for hot tropical climates. It may still be taken by people in extreme poor health, but is not absolutely necessary.
And be energised!
The general feedback from those who have tried this macrobiotic carp soup, however, is that it really works. If you take the soup at night, for example, you may wake up the next morning feeling more refreshed and energetic.
One new mother I know reported that the soup really increased her milk production.
For cancer survivor Elaine Nussbaum, the macrobiotic carp soup apparently made all the difference. In Recovery from Cancer, the remarkable story of one woman's struggle, Elaine writes that she was initially so ill and weak from her cancer that all she could do was lie in bed.
She could not move and her blood levels were so low that the doctors wanted to hospitalise her for blood tranfusions.
After 10 days of taking the macrobiotic carp soup, or koi koku, her health turned around and from there on, she got better and better.
Clich here for a fuller discussion about macrobiotic carp soup and soups in general in the context of a macrobiotic diet.
