Fist of Kitchen presents… Eat it: China!

base

• 4 tbsp. oil
• 3 slices fresh ginger
• ½ c. finely chopped onion
• ½ c. crab meat
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 1 tbsp. sherry
• 4 c. chicken stock

finishing

• 2 egg whites, beaten
• ¼ c. light cream
• 2 tsp. cornstarch
• 2 tbsp. cold water

preparation

Sauté the ginger and garlic until fragrant; add the crab, salt, and sherry. When that, too, is fragrant, add the stock and bring to a simmer. Mix the egg whites with the cream, cornstarch, and water, then slowly add to the pot while stirring. Simmer for a minute further, and call it soup! Doll it up with a little Sriracha and cilantro so it’s pretty.

This crab soup is exactly what you want ramen packet broth to be but never is. Gentle but heartening, I can imagine asking for this while under a bad cold. It’s super easy, too, in case you aren’t lucky enough to have a housemate who will play auntie and you have to make your own sick-day soup.

I used a white onion, but I think I should have grabbed the scallions. Also to note is that “light cream” (18-30% milkfat) isn’t the same as half-and-half (10.5-30%)—but good luck finding the former in your grocer’s dairy case. For this batch, I used straight half-and-half. It was still tasty and unguent (a tablespoon of oil per cup of stock will do that!) but next time, I’ll mix it with some heavy cream if there’s any in the fridge.