Free Chinese Recipes

Ingredients

• 225-275 g (8-10 oz) duck lit1ers
• 750 ml (Ii pints) good-quality broth
• 1 chicken stock cube
• 3 slices root ginger
• 15 ml (1 tablespoon) chicken fat
• 22 ml (Ii tablespoons) chopped spring-onion shavings (or coriander leaves)

Sauce:

• 4 medium Chinese dried mushrooms
• 2 medium onions
• 22 ml (1 1/2 tablespoons) vegetable oil
• 15 ml (1 tablespoon) brown bean paste
• 15 ml (1 tablespoon) tomato puree
• 15 ml (1 tablespoon) soy sauce
• 60 ml (4 tablespoons) dry sherry
• 125 ml (1/4 pint) water
• 15 ml (1 tablespoon), corn flour blended in 45 ml (3 tablespoons) water

Serve 6-8

** Free Chinese Recipes **

Method:

1. Soak the duck livers in water for 1 1/2 hours. Drain and cut them into thin slices. Soak the mushrooms in hot water for 20 minutes, remove the stalks, and cut each cap into 4 pieces. Cut the onion into thin slices.

2. Heat the stock in a large saucepan. Add the stock cube and ginger, and leave to simmer while you prepare the sauce. Heat the oil in a small saucepan, and add the onion and mushrooms. Stir-fry them slowly over a medium heat for 5-6 minutes until the onions are quite soft.

3. Add the bean paste, tomato puree and soy sauce, Mix them all together then pour in the water. Bring to the boil, and simmer until the volume has been reduced to less than half.

4. Add the sherry and corn flour and stir for 1 minute, when the sauce should begin to thicken. Remove the pan from the heat.

5. Meanwhi1e, blanch the duck livers by dipping them in boiling water, and removing immediately. Add them to the stock which is simmering in the large sauce pan. As soon as the latter boils, pour in the sauce.

6. Mix everything together in the pan. On re-boiling, simmer together for 3 minutes. Add the chicken fat to the soup and pour it into a large bowl or tureen.

7. Sprinkle With chopped spring onion or, coriander. This is quite a substantial soup suitable for Winter.