Equipment
Ingredients
For the Soup
- 15 g glass noodles
- 3 g dried wood-ear mushrooms
- 3 shiitake mushrooms
- 200 g chicken wings
- 4 dried scallops
- 80 g white crab meat
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 15 ml sesame oil
- 3 g fine sea salt, to taste
For the Seasoning
- 16 g cornstarch, blended with 30ml cold water
- 10 ml dark soy sauce
- 15 ml shaoxing wine
- 3 g white pepper, ground
- 30 ml chinkiang black rice vinegar
To Serve
- 2 scallions, finely sliced
- 1 red chili, chopped
- chinkiang black rice vinegar
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 324 kcal
- Protein
- 17 g
- Carbohydrates
- 35 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fiber
- 4 g
- Sugar
- 3 g
- Sodium
- 1099 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 3 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 5 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 4 g
- Cholesterol
- 85 mg
- Potassium
- 578 mg
- Calcium
- 69 mg
- Iron
- 2.4 mg
- Magnesium
- 38 mg
- Phosphorus
- 241 mg
- Zinc
- 1.3 mg
- Vitamin A
- 30 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 20 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.3 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 0.6 mg
- Vitamin K
- 33 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.5 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.2 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.07 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.19 mg
- Niacin
- 5.3 mg
- Folate
- 31 mcg
- Water
- 83 g
- Alcohol
- 0 g
- Caffeine
- 0 mg
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Place the glass noodles and wood-ear mushrooms in a medium bowl and cover with 500ml of hot water. Let them soak for at least 30 minutes, or until rehydrated. In a separate bowl, place the shiitake mushrooms and pour 100ml of hot water over them. Let them soak for at least 30 minutes to rehydrate.
In a large saucepan, combine the chicken wings and dried scallops with 2 liters of water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour to create a flavorful chicken and seafood stock.
While the stock is simmering, squeeze the excess water from the rehydrated shiitake mushrooms, reserving the soaking liquid. Finely slice the shiitake mushroom caps. Drain the glass noodles and wood-ear mushrooms. Slice the wood-ear mushrooms into bite-sized pieces if large; otherwise, leave them whole. Cut the glass noodles into approximately 5cm lengths, using kitchen shears or a knife.
Remove the chicken wings and dried scallops from the stock using a slotted spoon. Set aside to cool slightly, leaving the dried shrimps, if using, in the broth.
Once the chicken wings and scallops are cool enough to handle, shred the chicken meat from the bones and discard the bones and skin. Shred the scallops. Return the shredded chicken meat and scallops to the simmering stock.
Carefully strain the shiitake mushroom soaking liquid into the stock through a fine-mesh sieve, leaving any sediment behind. Discard the sediment.
Add the crab meat, prepared wood-ear mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, and glass noodles to the simmering stock. In a small bowl, whisk together all the seasoning ingredients (cornstarch slurry, dark soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, white pepper, and Chinkiang black rice vinegar), then pour this mixture into the soup. Stir to combine.
Bring the soup to a gentle medium boil and simmer for 5 minutes, or until the soup has thickened slightly. Turn off the heat. Slowly drizzle in the beaten egg while stirring gently to create thin ribbons. Stir in the sesame oil and season with salt to taste.
Ladle the soup into warmed bowls. Garnish each serving with finely sliced scallions and chopped red chili, if using. Serve immediately with Chinkiang black rice vinegar on the side for guests to add as desired.
Chef's Notes
- Use high-quality chicken wings and dried scallops for the best-tasting broth.
- Do not overcook the egg; it will continue to cook from residual heat.
- Adjust the amount of salt to your taste, as the salt content in the soy sauce and vinegar varies.
- Consider adding other vegetables, such as carrots, snow peas, and bamboo shoots.
- This recipe benefits from resting the stock overnight to allow flavors to meld, even if you do not make it ahead.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Freezer: 2 months — Freeze in an airtight container, leaving some headspace for expansion.
Reheating: Reheat gently on the stovetop until heated through, or in the microwave. Do not boil.
Troubleshooting
Soup is too thin.
Cause: Insufficient thickening from cornstarch or too much liquid.
Fix: Add a bit more cornstarch slurry (mixed with cold water) and simmer for a minute, or add more glass noodles if the issue is too much liquid.
Prevention:
Soup tastes bland.
Cause: Under-seasoning or not enough salt.
Fix: Season with more salt, dark soy sauce, and white pepper. Taste and adjust. If using, add a bit more Chinkiang black rice vinegar.
Prevention:
Egg ribbons are not forming.
Cause: Soup too hot, or egg added too quickly.
Fix: Ensure the soup is not boiling when you add the egg, and drizzle the egg slowly while gently stirring. The soup should be warm but not too hot. If this fails, consider whisking the egg with 1/2 tsp cornstarch prior to adding to the broth for improved viscosity.
Prevention:
Cultural Context
Eight Treasures Soup (八寶湯, Bā bǎo tāng) is a traditional Chinese soup, with regional variations. The 'eight treasures' can refer to the ingredients that are used, which often have symbolic significance. The soup is often served during special occasions like Chinese New Year.
