Sea Cucumber Soup

This is what you need:

• 150g chicken breast - sliced into thin strips and pre-seasoned with 1 tsp light soy sauce and half egg white

• 150g pork tenderloin - sliced into thin strips and pre-seasoned with 1 tsp light soy sauce and half egg white

• 200g sea cucumber - sliced into thin strips
• 1 thumb sized ginger - peeled and smashed

• 3 dried mushrooms - wash, soaked and slice into thin strips

• 5 pieces dried scallops - wash, soaked and break into small pieces, retain the soaked water for cooking

• 4 pieces ham - cut into thin strips

• 2 eggs - beaten
• 2 litres of pork broth - boil pork ribs in a pot of water, pour the cooked broth through a sift to get rid of any small bones
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• enough cornflour mix with water for thickening

Seasonings:

Salt (to taste)

Msg (to taste)

To serve:

Black vinegar

Methods:

1. Put the scallops and the soaked water into the pork broth and bring it to a simmer.  Add in seasoning and taste.
2. In a medium heated wok add in sesame oil, fry the smashed ginger, then add in the mushrooms and stir fry till fragrant.  Off the heat, discard ginger and scoop the fried mushroom slices and the leftover sesame oil into the simmering pork broth.
3. Add in the sea cucumber, stir and continue to boil for about 5 minutes, depending on how soft the sea cucumber is.
4. Then, add in the pre-seasoned pork slices, a portion at a time and for each addition, use a chopstick to stir it well to ensure that they are loosen and not stick together in a lump.  Next, add in the chicken slices and stir well and continue to boil till the meat are cooked.
5. Add in the sliced ham and let the soup comes to another boil.
6. Pour in half of the beaten egg slowly while stirring with a pair of chopstick in a circular motion.
7. Add in the cornflour mixture and stir well till the soup becomes slurry as per your liking.
8. Add in the remaining beaten egg, stir well and as soon as the soup comes to another boil, off the heat.
9. Serve hot in individual soup bowl with black vinegar.