Unique to South East Asian cuisine, ikan bilis (dry anchovy) soup stock is made from dry anchovies. Drying process preserves the anchovies and makes it a great pantry staple that is affordable and easy to find in most supermarkets.
Anchovies are high in calcium and make it a perfect ingredient for nutritious soup for the family.
Making it is easier than you think and this fish soup stock will quickly become one of your go-to soup stock recipes. It doesn’t have the fishy smell unlike other fish stocks so you can be assured that your kid will slurp up every drop.
How long does it take to make ikan bilis (dry anchovy) soup stock?
It can come together as quickly as 30 minutes. I recommend simmering for at least an hour to allow the full flavour of the anchovies to be extracted.
What kind of ikan bilis should I use?
To make ikan bilis soup stock, get ikan bilis that are larger in size.
Usually ikan bilis sold in Singapore are from Malaysia or Pangkor, Malaysia. There is no need to remove the head or the belly or bones. It doesn’t make soup the bitter as long as you only lightly saute but not brown the ikan bilis.
You can get yours from Hock Hua in stores. If you prefer to shop online, you can get these on Shopee.
Can I freeze ikan bilis soup stock?
Most definitely!
You can freeze them in Glad Soup Containers found in most supermarkets or silicone freezer trays.
I recommend silicone freezer trays as you can remove them when frozen which makes the frozen soup easy to store and reheat.
Ikan Bilis (Dry Anchovy) Stock
Equipment
- 2 2 cup silicone freezer trays optional
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried ikan bilis ($3.24)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.13)
- 1 onion ($0.46)
- 2 slices ginger
- 1 tbsp neutral flavoured oil ($0.17)
- 3 L water
Instructions
Preparation
- Rinse ikan bilis with water. I don't usually pick the heads or stomach. Soup will taste great still!
- Smash garlic clove.
- Peel onion and chop into 1 inch pieces
Cooking
- Heat the pot thoroughly.
- Add ikan bilis to heated pot. This helps to dry the ikan bilis slightly to reduce splatter when oil is added.
- Add in oil, garlic, ginger and onion.
- Saute all ingredients until fragrant. DO NOT brown the ikan bilis as it will add bitterness to the soup.
- Add 3L of water and bring it to a rolling boil.
- Simmer on low for at least 1 hour.
Notes
- Fishball noodle soup
- Macaroni soup
- Mixed seafood soup
- Sliced fish soup with rice
- Tofu and leafy green soup
- Spinach and egg drop soup
- Yong tau foo soup