with Chef Lê Đức Hải of Ngon Garden Restaurant in Hà Nội

Chef Lê Đức Hải

Ingredients (for four people)

-    Sea crab meat:                450gr

-    Asparagus:                       450gr

-    Chicken:                           500gr

-    Big onion:                        1

-    Purple onion:                  4

-    White wine:                    2tsp

-    Tapioca starch:              3 tbsp

-    Vinegar:                          120ml

-    Rock sugar:                     50gr

-    Egg white:                        2

-    Sesame oil:                    1/2tsp

-    Cooking oil:                     ½ tbsp

-    Salt, pepper, broth mix

Sea crab soup with asparagus

How to choose sea crab and cook the soup:

- Choose live and male crabs to have more meat. If you wish to buy crab meat choose fresh and white meat.

- Mix the crab meat with 2tsp of wine to eliminate its fishy smell. Cut the purple onions into thin pieces.

- Use a pan with cooking oil to fry the thin cut onion pieces over medium heat then add the crab meat and stir it well for five minutes before putting pepper over it.

- Cut asparagus into pieces of 3-5cm each.

- Boil three litres of water in a pot, put the big onion which is cut into four pieces and purple onions in the pot then put the chicken in. These materials should be cooked over medium heat for 45 minutes before taking the chicken out and using the boiled water as broth.

- Continue to cook the broth until it is boiled again then put asparagus and salt in. After five minutes when the asparagus is done to a turn put rock sugar in the pot.

- Stir the tapioca starch well with three tablespoons of water before pouring the crab meat, eggs white and a teaspoon of broth mix into the pot and continue to stir it.

- Scoop the soup into a big bowl and top it with ½ tsp sesame oil and pepper.

Finished dish requirement:

The soup should be hot and with an aromatic flavour from the savoury broth, crab meat and soft asparagus.

The nutritious dish is often used as an appetiser at a party or a very good dish for the elderly or the ill at home. VNS