Sea Cucumber Soup with White Pepper
A classic Chinese soup made with sea cucumber and seasoned with white pepper. The soup is milky white, smooth, and the spicy aroma of pepper perfectly enhances the flavor. It is both warming and nourishing, ideal for banquets or family meals.
Ingredients
12 items- Sea cucumber (soaked) 500 g
- Ginger 10 g
- Scallion 20 g
- Jinhua ham 25 g
- Winter bamboo shoots 30 g
- Fresh shiitake mushrooms 2 pieces
- Broth (or chicken stock) 1000 ml
- White pepper (ground) 2 tablespoons (6 g)
- Salt 1 teaspoon (3 g)
- Chicken bouillon 1/2 teaspoon
- Cilantro to taste
- Lard (or vegetable oil) 15 g
Nutrition
Steps （6 steps）
Split the pre-soaked sea cucumber (500 g) lengthwise, remove entrails and sand mouth, rinse under running water, and cut into strips about 1 cm wide. Bring a pot of water with scallion sections, ginger slices, and cooking wine to a boil. Blanch sea cucumber strips for 2 minutes to remove fishiness, then drain and set aside.
Prepare the aromatics: slice ginger, cut scallion into sections, thinly slice Jinhua ham, slice winter bamboo shoots, slice shiitake mushrooms, and chop cilantro. Set aside.
Heat 15 g lard in a pot over medium heat. Add ginger and scallion, sauté about 30 seconds until fragrant. Add ham, bamboo shoots, and mushrooms; stir-fry for 1 minute until slightly golden.
Pour in 1000 ml broth (or chicken stock). Bring to a boil over high heat, skim off any foam. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes to fuse flavors.
Add the blanched sea cucumber strips to the pot. Continue simmering over low heat for 15 minutes until sea cucumber is tender and well-flavored, easily pierced with chopsticks.
Turn the heat to high. Add 2 tablespoons ground white pepper, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon (optional). Stir well to dissolve. Drizzle a little scallion oil or sesame oil for fragrance. Boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve in a soup bowl.
Tips
Soaking sea cucumber is crucial: soak dried sea cucumber in purified water in the refrigerator for 48 hours, changing water daily. Then boil for 40 minutes and let cool naturally, then soak again until soft. Use freshly ground white pepper for best aroma. You can substitute broth with chicken or pork bone stock. Omit chicken bouillon for a purer flavor.
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