Hong Kong Snack: Shark's Fin in a Bowl

Shark's Fin in a Bowl (碗仔翅) was one of my favorite afternoon or late-night snacks when I was in secondary school. To be exact, I loved to have Shark's Fin & Fish Paste in a Bowl (魚肉翅). People used glass noodles (粉絲) as the fake shark's fin, but more and more restaurants are using imitation shark's fin instead. 

The imitation shark's fin was on sale. That was why I bought it and made the soup today.

Shark's Fin in a Bowl (碗仔翅)

Prep time: 15 min 
Cook time: 15 min 
Total time: 30 min 
Yield: 10 servings 


Ingredients: 
Imitation shark fin: 450g 
Dried shitake mushroom, soaked, sliced: 8-10 (Optional) 
Dried jelly ear (black fungus), soaked, sliced: 2 or 2.5 cups 
Chicken breast: 200g 
Chicken stock: 1000ml 
Water: 1000ml 
Dark soy sauce (老抽): 1 tbsp 
Water chestnut starch/flour (馬蹄粉): 3 tbsp 
Egg, beaten: 1


Directions: 

1. Thaw imitation shark's fin.
2. Boil chicken breast / lean pork, then set aside. When the meat cools down, tear it into long thin pieces.
3. Bring a pot of water and chicken stock to boil. Add shitake mushroom, black fungus, meat, dark soy sauce and the imitation shark's fin. As soon as the mixture boils, turn the heat down to medium-low.
4. Dissolve water chestnut starch in 5 tbsp of water. Add it slowly to the pot. Stir well.
5. Turn off the heat when the soup boils again. Stir egg into the soup. 
6. Add salt to taste. Serve hot with red vinegar / Chinese vinegar (淅醋), white pepper and/or sesame oil, according to personal preference.

References:

• http://oniyomeryori.blogspot.com/2014/05/blog-post_27.html
• http://sweetheartkitchen.com/recipes/imitation-fin-soup/
• http://www.christinesrecipes.com/2008/07/blog-post.html
• http://jewelpie.com/recipe-imitation-sharksfin-soup-30-minutes/