Sup Mang Cua
When you go out to eat in American culture you have your appetizers, your own entrees, and then maybe you’ll share a dessert. In a lot of asian cultures there are lots of cuisines where you find yourself sharing among your friends or family. In Korean barbecue you sit around a grill and talk while you guys divvy up your meat. In the Philippines they have the concept of kamayan; which is a communal style feast served on banana leaves without utensils. In Vietnamese and Chinese formal style dinners you will have preordered large entrees brought out to you at certain times and the overall experience is extremely dependent on sharing. If you have ever been to an eastern asian wedding, you might have had yourself this Sup Mang Cua. It is a crab asparagus soup that is amazing on the throat but horrible on the wallet. I first tried to make this for my sister who is gluten free, and found out that it’s not all that expensive to emulate the taste of this yummy concoction!
Produce:
1 lb frozen, canned, fresh or imitation crab meat (shred into thin strips)
1/2 bunch cilantro (remove stems and mince finely for garnish)
2 beaten eggs
1 bunch of white canned asparagus(drained)
1 can of straw mushroom (drained)
2 cans of quail eggs(drained)
1 can of baby corn(drained)
Oils and Liquids:
12 cups of water
1 tablespoon of soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon of sesame oil
Baking and spices:
10 tablespoons chicken bouillon powder or ⅔ of a cup
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
4 tbsp of corn starch mixed with 1 cup water (whisk until fully dissolved)
White pepper (not optional this makes the soup)
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional:
1 bunch of enoki mushrooms
½ package of imitation crab
Directions:
Take a large pot and coat with 1 tablespoon of sesame oil and have it on medium high heat
Make sure your crab meat is thawed if frozen (if not the microwave is completely acceptable)
Add your crab meat, one can of baby corn, and one can of your straw mushrooms.
Saute with 5 tablespoons of chicken bouillon
After about 5-6 minutes, set aside the crab and mushrooms on a plate
Add 12 cups of water to the same pot and 5 more tablespoons of chicken bouillon
Let it come to a boil while stirring
Beat two eggs on the side and slowly add to the water
Add your canned asparagus, 2 cans of quail eggs, (and if you are adding, your optional ingredients such as enoki mushrooms and ½ package of imitation crab, do so now)
Stir and add 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of fish sauce and 1 teaspoon of garlic powder and a dash of black pepper
Add your crab meat, baby corn and your straw mushrooms that you set aside earlier
Fully mix and on the side take 4 tablespoons of corn starch and mix with 1 cup of cold water and whisk until fully dissolved
Add to your soup to thicken
Take it off the heat and serve immediately
Top off with white pepper and cilantro and enjoy!
I added the mushrooms and imitation crab after finding out that the canned asparagus is fucking $7-8 a can.
You can add any vegetables you’d like to this soup and it will be the same flavor profile so long as it is not a starchy vegetable like potatoes.
Also: if you would like to have a more authentic taste: you can find Pike Maw to prepare and add to your soup. Its a pretty expensive ingredient and kind of difficult to find but if you have the time and finances to do so, I definitely recommend adding it to your soup. It usually comes dehydrated and all you have to do is soak them.
