Fish Maw and Crab Soup (Modified Recipe)

Author: Monica Ming

Ingredients:

• 1 Silken chicken

• 12 oz of lump crab meat

• 8 oz of fish maw (presoak overnight if fish maw not fried, fried fish maw is available at most 99 Ranch markets)

• 28 grams of chicken bouillon (add more to taste)

• 14 grams of bing tang (Chinese rock sugar) or pure cane sugar or palm sugar (add more to taste)

• 3 pieces of tremella (white fungus)

• 1/2 onion (chopped)

• 5 cloves of garlic (chopped)

• 12 cups of water (adjust to your taste)

Instructions:

1. Soak fish maw overnight or at 4 hours if using dried fish maw that has not been fried. If using fish maw that is dried and fried, soak it until it is tender.

2. Fill a large pot with 12 cups of water.

3. Heat a wok or any pan with even heat distribution on high heat. Quickly toss in the chopped onion and chopped garlic, then add the silken chicken to wok. Quickly stir fry and turn heat off. Do not cook chicken and hen thoroughly, this to get rid of smell on chicken, make it smoky. The Han Chinese way.

4. Place cooked chicken into large pot.

5. After chicken and hen is cooked, add crab meat, fish maw, bamboo shoots.

6. Add chicken bouillon, the add bing tang or any sugar to flavor.

7. Take out silken chicken. Peel meat off bone. Leave bone in soup for flavor.

8. Set meat aside. Add chicken meat topping. Serve with green onions, chives, or cilantro.