This Chinese recipe uses traditional bean curds and pork in simmering fish stock creating a wonderful mix of flavors.
In Hong Kong and China, some restaurants specialize in a very sophisticated dish, Winter Melon Pond. A whole winter melon of the perfect size is partially hollowed, filled with such delicacies as crab meat, diced duck, pork, Chinese mushrooms and bamboo shoots and then steamed for hours to produce the most delectable soup. But it is not a practical dish to make at home. This recipe, however, is, and the melon is succulent in the soup.
This Cantonese soup, like sweet and sour pork, is tremendously popular with non-Chinese, especially Westerners. Canned products are used here for labor-saving purposes. The soup will still be delicious if you want to make it very simple and omit the chicken.
This Mongolian dish, which has long since become part and parcel of Peking food, ranks second in fame only to Peking duck.
The Chinese are unanimous in their appreciation of shark’s fin soup, and this very nutritious soup is rightly considered to be one of the most exotic examples of Chinese cuisine. A fin of the best quality is, however, extremely expensive and takes four days to prepare. The fin used in this recipe is sold in a package consisting of the cartilage with some fin needles and is already processed and then dried again. By itself, shark’s fin has little taste, but when combined with other ingredients in a prime stock, it makes the perfect soup.
Like shark’s fin soap, bird’s nest soup reaches the heights of Chinese cuisine, though Westerners are often put off by the name and the fact that it is produced by swallows’ saliva. Alone, bird’s nest is bland, and its function is to provide texture, rather than taste, to the soup. A very rich prime stock is therefore essential as a base, as is the chicken velvet. And yet, without the bird’s nest, no amount of prime stock or chicken velvet could produce the unique quality of this soup.
Dried scallops used to be relatively cheap in China and Dried scallop soup was the poor man’s Shark’s fin soup. However, times have changed, and this soup, with its contrast in texture between the tender scallops and the crisp bamboo shoots, is now one of the most sought-after first courses, second only to Shark’s fin and Bird’s nest soups.
A simple but refreshing soup that is also very healthy—a vegetarian’s delight.
This is the most basic Chinese soup and can be made in an instant with some clear stock and an egg. The soup’s success depends on the technique of adding the egg to the soup.
White peaches are some of my favorites, as each bite tastes like a great fruity wine. However, I use several different varieties of peaches for this soup so their flavors can blend. It tastes like a luscious peach cobbler.
It simmers fresh blueberries with fruit juice and wine, then purees them with sour cream and brown sugar.Maine blueberries are smaller and more tart than the cultivated kind, but either one will work in this recipe.
We planted and grew all of our own vegetables. A spectacular apricot tree supplied us with fresh fruit all summer. When we grew tired of eating plain apricots, I made this soup. It’s both tart and sweet, with a hint of ginger and a refreshingly silky texture. I like to serve it on a hot day, when you need a burst of sweetness and energy.
This versatile soup’s scarlet hue is always a conversation piece. Garnish each serving with a dollop of sour cream or crème fraiche to offset the color. Served hot, the soup makes a good first course for an entrée of duck or veal. It can also be served cold, presented in a glass serving bowl, or ladled into chilled red wine goblets. Garnish with fresh cherries with the stems still attached.
You can’t get any more vibrant than this magenta soup, which pairs earthy beets with sweet, delicate raspberries. I think it’s a toss-up whether the flavor or the color is more appealing. Garnish each serving with sprigs of fresh dill and whole raspberries. Serve it with Farmers’ Market Salad for a refreshing lunch during one of summer’s hottest days.
Gazpacho, a soup designed to be served cold, originated in the Andalusian region of southern Spain, where it helped mitigate the scorching climate. The basic recipe combines tomatoes, bell peppers, and cucumbers with bread crumbs and seasonings. In this variation, I add clam juice and fresh seafood to take advantage of the summer catch.
