West Lake Water Shield Soup (西湖莼菜汤 (Xīhú chúncài tāng))

Name: West Lake Water Shield Soup
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: China
Ingredients: 150 g fresh water shield, or a jar of preserved water shield, rinsed; 50 g cooked chicken breast, in fine strands; 25 g cooked Jinhua ham, in fine strands; 750 ml clear chicken stock; 1 tsp chicken fat; salt

Overview

West Lake water shield soup is a clear soup from Hangzhou made with the young shoots and rolled leaves of water shield, a pond plant that grows in West Lake and Xiaoshan. The tender leaves are wrapped in a clear, jelly-like coating, which gives the soup its smooth, slippery feel. They are blanched for a few seconds in boiling water so that they stay bright green, and put into a bowl. Fine strands of cooked chicken breast and Jinhua ham are arranged on top, and a hot, well-seasoned clear chicken stock is poured over them. A few drops of chicken fat finish the soup, which is delicate and light in taste.

History

Water shield soup has a long literary history. In the Shishuo Xinyu, Zhang Han, an official of the Jin dynasty serving in the north, felt the autumn wind and longed for the water shield soup and sliced perch of his home in Wu, gave up his post and went home; the phrase chunlu zhi si, longing for water shield and perch, came to mean homesickness. The Hangzhou version with chicken and ham is listed among the thirty-six traditional famous dishes of Hangzhou.

Main ingredients

Water shield, chicken breast, jinhua ham, chicken stock, chicken fat. The soup is built on clear stock with silky water shield and is usually served hot. Diet: contains meat; usually gluten-free.

Explore: Chicken soups · Pork soups · More soups from China

Recipe

4Serves

25 min15 prep · 10 cook

~120kcal / serving

EasyDifficulty

Method

1
Bring a pan of water to the boil, blanch the water shield for a few seconds and drain.
2
Put the water shield into a serving bowl.
3
Bring the stock to the boil and season with salt.
4
Pour the hot stock over the water shield.
5
Arrange the chicken and ham on top, add the chicken fat and serve.
✓
Serve. About 25 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.

West Lake Water Shield Soup

Editor's score

Editor’s scores reflect the personal taste of the SoupWiki editors. They are not a measure of a soup’s quality or authenticity, and they don’t mean a soup is good or bad. More

7.0/10

Clear broth with chicken breast and jinhua ham; well balanced and comforting.

Story & meaning 7/10 · Hangzhou soup of a pond plant that once made an official quit his post

Local name: 西湖莼菜汤 (Xīhú chúncài tāng)Say it: SHEE-hoo CHWUN-tsai TAHNG
Country: China
Region: East Asia
Continent: Asia
Type: Clear broth
Allergens i Based on the typical recipe. Recipes and products vary; always check labels if you have an allergy. Covers the 14 major allergens (UK/EU).: None of the 14 major allergens in the base recipe
Base: Clear stock with silky water shield
Served: Hot
Diet: Contains meat
Gluten-free: Usually
Calories: ~120 kcal est.
Prep / cook: 15 / 10 min
Total: ~25 min est.
Difficulty: Easy