Súp Măng Cua (Asparagus Crab Soup)
Author: Katie Le | Katie’s Test Kitchen
Ingredients
- 5 cups of chicken stock
- 3/4 cup of crab meat
- About 12 stalks of canned white asparagus (chopped to about 1/4 inch length)
- 5 eggs whites (about 1 egg white per 1 cup of broth, light whisked to break up the egg white)
- 1.5 tbsp of Quoc Viet Chicken Soup Base
- 1 tsp size of yellow Rock Sugar
- 1 tsp of cooking wine
- 1 can of quail eggs (optional and even better if you have fresh)
- 3 tbsp of potato starch mix with 3 tbsp of water to thicken soup (can substitute with tapioca or corn starch; potato starch holds consistency better after refrigeration, if you have leftovers)
- cilantro and green onion (chopped to garnish)
- black ground pepper (to garnish)
Directions
1. Make chicken broth! Chicken broth can be made using the IP ahead of time with chicken bones, a few carrots, a tsp of salt and an onion. You can follow my IP Chicken Stock recipe for more details. If you use store bought chicken broth it’s recommended to dilute it by half to reduce the sodium level. For this recipe, I used 5 cups of homemade chicken broth.
2. Bring chicken broth to a boil on the stove top pot OR in the IP using Saute mode (Adjust to normal heat), season with 1.5 tbsp of Quoc Viet Chicken Soup Base (more or less depending on your taste). You can use rock sugar, chicken/mushroom powder to season the broth to your taste. Add crab meat and chopped asparagus. Bring to a boil again.
3. Add flour mixture. Pour mixture slowly to the soup with one hand the other stir continuously with a ladle. Next add the egg whites. Move the ladle in one direction and slowly pour in the egg whites to create the ribbons effect. If you use quail eggs add at this time. Lastly, add 1 tsp of cooking wine.
4. Garnish with chopped cilantro and onion. Add black ground pepper before serving.
Hi! How would it be without the starch?
Hi Mary, it would taste just fine without the starch. The consistency of this type of soup with supposed to be a little thick though.
What cooking wine brand should I use?
Hi Cam, I just buy the cooking wine from the Asian store. Any brand would do honestly.
Can I use cornstarch? If so, do I still mix it with water as well? Same with tapioca starch, do I also mix with water? Thank you!
Hi Ngoc, cornstarch would work too. Use the same ratio as for the tapioca starch.
It came out so good thank you so much for your recipes I used green asparagus instead of the white I couldn’t find them. It came out so yummy
Hi Jordan, I’m glad you liked it!
What do you usually make with the leftover egg yolks from this recipe?
Hi Elaine, most of the time I end up tossing it out. Sometime I’d mix in with more eggs and do a scramble for my kids.
Can I substitute the soup base with better than bouillon chicken base? Thanks
Yes, should work fine. I’m not sure the exact amount for better than bouillon so add to your taste.
What cooking wine do you use?
Hi Jenny, I got the rice cooking wine from the Asian store. Big bottle so it lasts me a long time.
I have pork soup base and crab soup base. Do you think either of these would work in place of the chicken soup base?
Hi Lisa – I’d use the pork soup base. I love that one too.
Can we use fresh green asparagus?
Hi!
Can I use fresh green asparagus instead of the canned ones?
Thanks!
Hi Jen, the fresh ones have different flavor actually. I know some people do use it but it won’t be the same.
Hi Katie! My kids love shrimp and string mushroom. How would you go about adding these to the soup? I’m worried the shrimp may end up rubbery if I put it in IP for the whole time but also want to make sure it’s cooked too…thank you!!
Hi, in step 3 you can add shrimps and mushrooms with the crab meat. Thanks.
Hi Katie, where can I find crab meat at the Asian store?
Frozen or refrigerated section usually