Imitation Shark Fin Soup (碗仔翅 (Wun jai chi))
Overview
Imitation shark fin soup, wun jai chi in Cantonese, meaning shark fin in a small bowl, is one of the best-known street snacks of Hong Kong. Soaked glass noodles stand in for the fins and give the same slippery strands, and they are simmered in stock with shredded cooked chicken, strips of shiitake mushroom and sometimes shredded pork skin or wood ear fungus. Dark and light soy sauce colour the soup brown, and it is thickened with starch until it coats a spoon. It is served in small bowls, and eaters add their own red vinegar, sesame oil, white pepper or chilli oil. Some shops stir in beaten egg or add fish maw and Jinhua ham.
History
The snack appeared in the 1940s and 1950s, when hawkers near Temple Street in Yau Ma Tei were said to collect leftover scraps of shark fin from restaurants and cook them in a cheap thick soup, so that ordinary people could taste a banquet dish. As the scraps ran short, they replaced them with glass noodles, and the soup is now made without any shark fin. Since the 2000s it has also been seen as a way to enjoy the taste of shark fin soup without harming sharks.
Main ingredients
Glass noodles, shredded chicken, shiitake mushrooms, dark soy sauce, starch, red vinegar. The soup is built on thick brown starchy soup and is usually served hot. Diet: contains meat; not usually gluten-free.
Explore: Chicken soups · Noodle soups · More soups from Hong Kong
Recipe
Method
- 110 min
Bring the stock to the boil with the mushrooms and simmer for 10 minutes.
- 2
Add the chicken, the drained glass noodles and the soy sauces.
- 35 min
Simmer for 5 minutes.
- 4
Stir in the cornflour mixture gradually until the soup is thick and glossy.
- 5
Serve in small bowls with vinegar, sesame oil, pepper and chilli oil on the table.
- ✓
Serve. About 40 min from start to bowl.
Sources
Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.
