China · Home-style
Cucumber and Century Egg Soup
A clear, cooling soup in which cucumber slices are added to a fried base of century egg and garlic just before serving.
The cucumber goes in at the very end and the pot is taken off the heat the moment the liquid boils again, because long cooking turns it soft and watery and it stops being cucumber. Frying the century egg first, until the surface browns slightly, is what gives the soup its colour and its depth. It is served hot despite being a cooling dish, which is a habit rather than a contradiction in Chinese cookery.
Ingredients
- cucumber1 pieces
- century eggs2 pieces
- garlic2 pieces
- cooking oil5 g
- salt3 g
- chicken bouillon1 g
- waterExact
Directions
- 1
Wash the cucumber and slice it 0.5 to 1.2 mm thick.
- 2
Wash the scallion and chop it finely; bash the garlic a few times to loosen the skin and cut it in half.
- 3
Shell the century eggs and cut each into six to eight pieces. Pour oil into the pot and add the cut century egg and the garlic.
- 4
Fry over low heat until the surface is lightly browned, add the water and bring to the boil over high heat.
- 5
Add the cucumber slices. As soon as the liquid boils again, turn off the heat at once and season with the salt and the chicken bouillon.
- 6
Ladle into a bowl and scatter over the chopped scallion.
Source: HowToCook · WorldBite adaptation · Unlicense source text; bilingual recipe adapted by WorldBite.