Three Dishes, One Soup
On care, cooking without obligation, and carrying tradition, plus recipes for a classic Malaysian Chinese spread. Words and images by Siqi Chong.
Good morning, and welcome to Vittles! Today, Siqi Chong shares recipes for three dishes (braised pork belly with tofu, steamed sea bass with ginger and scallion, and stir-fried greens) plus a spinach and anchovy egg drop soup, a combination that is a mainstay of traditional Malaysian Chinese home cooking.
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Three Dishes, One Soup
Braised pork belly with tofu, steamed sea bass with ginger and scallion, stir-fried greens, and spinach and anchovy egg drop soup. Words and images by Siqi Chong.
Growing up, the dinner table in my Malaysian Chinese household was never extravagantly laden, but it was always complete. Each night, three dishes and one soup – 三菜一汤 – would appear as reliably as the click of the rice cooker: a braise, a stir-fry, a steamed dish, and a clear broth. There was a quiet logic to it all – nothing repeated, nothing competing, flavours balanced, textures contrasted, a small choreography of nourishment and care.
三菜一汤 isn’t unique to my family: it’s rooted in the culinary philosophy of many southern Chinese homes, and finds a parallel in Japan’s ichijuu sansai (one soup, three sides). The framework isn’t a rigid formula. At its heart, it’s a blueprint for care, with dishes lightened when someone feels unwell, herbal chicken soups preferred when exams loom, or small favourites included just because. I didn’t always notice these acts of care as a child, but they stayed with me subconsciously.
Now that I live in London, without the network of labour that shaped my childhood meals – no grandmother stewing broth in the background, no auntie quietly clearing the wok – I cook very differently. Weeknights are often hasty one-pan affairs eaten on the sofa. But on weekends, or when loved ones come to visit, I sometimes find myself turning to the old structure, reaching for dishes that have settled naturally into my rhythm, familiar enough to feel like muscle memory and forgiving enough to suit a small London kitchen.
Here I’m sharing recipes for three dishes and a soup that I often return to: braised pork belly with tofu; steamed sea bass with ginger and scallion; stir-fried greens with garlic (here: pea shoots); and spinach and egg drop soup with anchovy broth. Each one carries with it a memory, a gesture, a taste of the past that still fits into the present.
Although making three dishes and a soup sounds like a lot of work, it doesn’t have to be complicated (and, of course, you don’t always have to make all of them). The braised pork belly can gently simmer away as you go about your day, while the other three come together in around twenty minutes or so. The soup is almost entirely hands-off, leaving you free to focus on the steamed fish and stir-fried greens, both of which take some attention but not much effort. This kind of cooking is all about settling into the right rhythm, one that allows for conversation, a bit of gossip between cousins over for dinner, and the quiet pleasure of being gathered, cooking and catching up between steps.
These recipes serve around six people with rice, and should leave enough for seconds or leftovers the next day. Like many Malaysian Chinese women, I learned to cook not through measuring spoons or precise timing, but by feel, taste, and smell. So, treat what follows as a guide, not a rulebook: tweak the seasoning, adjust to your kitchen, and trust yourself.
Braised Pork Belly with Tofu
This dish hums with the deep savoury-sweet warmth of soy, sugar, ginger, and Shaoxing wine. Cubes of pork belly slowly render down until the fat is soft and glossy and the lean turns tender, while the fried tofu swells as it soaks up the sauce. A full pot might last several meals, but rarely did in our house.
