Fish Maw Soup (Kra-Paw Pla)

This soup is very similar to shark fin soup in texture, but it has a sweet and sour tasted that like hot and sour soup. Although, it a very popular street vendor soup, but you will not be able to find it in your Thai restaurant menu. I guess it the time consuming part and all the ingredients can be pretty costly. Even I don’t make it often, but when I do, it never fails to get lots of compliment and satisfaction from both parties. I like mine very sour and spicy. Of course, I tried many versions and after much experimenting I find that this is the most tasteful one thus far. Great for that cold winter day where you need a good soup to comfort your taste bud and soul.

Ingredients:

1 Small chicken (cook, save the broth and pull the meat into shredded pieces)
5 Dried shitake mushrooms (soak in hot water for 1 hours or so, cut into thin slices)
1 Package of dried dish maw (soak in warm water until soften then cut into small bite size)
1 Cup bamboo shoots
1 Cup of slice Jacama (adding this gives it a nice crunchy texture)
1 Can quail eggs
½ Cup vinegar
3 Tbsp of corn starch add about 3 tbsp of water to it
1 Tbsp of soy sauce
2 Tbsp of fish sauce
3 Tbsp of sweet soy sauce
1 Tsp of white pepper
1 Bunch of cilantro cut into 1’ section
1 Tbsp of sugar
6 Cup of chicken broth
1 Scope or cube of chicken flavor soup base

Topping sauce

1 Tbsp of rice vinegar
1 Soy sauce

Fresh ground chili paste to taste

Methods:

1. In a medium pot pour about 7 cups of water, chicken soup base in with the chicken. Bring to boil and shimmer it for at least an hours or so for better flavoring.
2. When it fully cooked remove the chicken and strain the broth to remove all fat and scum.
3. Then pull the chicken meat into shredded pieces and set aside.
4. Now to prepare the fish maw, after it soaked, boil it for 5 minutes removed and cut into small pieces. This is optional, but in doing this it remove the smell and soften it further.
5. In a medium pot, pour the chicken broth, fish maw, mushroom, soy sauce, sweet soy, fish sauce, sugar, vinegar, bamboo shoots quail eggs and sliced jacama and bring to boil.
6. Now slowly add the liquid corn starch and let it boil and thicken.
7. Turn off and add the white pepper and cilantro.

Serve hot with or with it topping sauce and chili sauce.