Ingredients

• 4 pieces of good quality fish fillets (such as cod, but can be pollock or pike-perch)
• salt, pepper, olive oil

Mushrooms:

• 200 g frozen bay boletes or porcini
• 200 g oyster mushrooms
• 3 tablespoons fat (such as olive oil, clarified butter)
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
• pinch of salt

Broth:

• 4 cups water
• 8 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 cup sake or white wine
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 small onion
• 1 teaspoon Sichuan pepper
• 1/3 teaspoon ground red paprika

Toppings:

• chives, cooked rice (such as sushi rice)

Preparation

1. Broth: Pour water into a pot, soy sauce, sake, add sugar, thinly sliced garlic, onion cut into slivers, Sichuan pepper, paprika powder. Bring to a boil, cook for another 5 minutes on medium heat, then set aside for 10 minutes.
2. Mushrooms: Thaw frozen mushrooms, most quickly under warm water. Drain and cut into pieces. Rinse oyster mushrooms, drain and also cut. In a pan heat the fat, add thinly sliced garlic. Brown on medium heat. Add oyster mushrooms and stirring occasionally sauté for approximately 2 minutes on medium heat. The oyster mushrooms should soften and release some juice. Add frozen mushrooms, add a pinch of salt and continue sautéing, or really braising, for approximately 5 - 7 minutes until mushrooms are soft. They should develop a thick sauce, not sauté, not brown, just braise. At the end pour the broth into the mushrooms (through a strainer, save the onion for garnish) and bring to a boil together.
3. Fish: Thaw fish fillets, drain, season with salt and pepper, brush with olive oil. Steam cook. You can also flour the fish and pan-fry it in olive oil.
4. Heat the soup before serving, ladle into deep bowls, place fish in the center, garnish with onion from the broth and sprinkle with chives, serve with rice.