Asparagus Crab Meat Soup

I started learning how to cook from my mother when we still owned a restaurant in Chicago. Most of us also learned cooking from famous chefs or from cookbooks. However, I try to create easy, healthy recipes for my family, and I hope that busy women out there will try to make a good meal for their families. Today’s recipe is for another good healthy soup that is popular in Chinese restaurants or takeouts. I use the dashi stock to make this soup much tastier and healthier. The dashi stock is very easy to make, but the dashi powder is also good too and saves time for busy cooks. I will now repeat how to make the dashi stock making it even easier for the reader to follow. Here it is.

Ingredients:
Dashi stock ingredients:
One 4” x 4” piece kelp or kombu
1 oz. bonito flakes or a handful of anchovies
5 cups water

Directions:
In a saucepan, soak the kombu in water for 1 hour. Turn the heat to moderate heat and cook over low heat to allow more time for its flavor to infuse the water. Remove the kelp or kombu when the water starts to bubble. Add the bonito flakes and turn the heat up until gently boiling. Turn off the heat. Let the bonito flakes settle to the bottom and drain the dashi stock. If using anchovies, soak the anchovies at the same time as the kombu and slowly boil the stock.

Ingredients for Crab soup:
2 cups crab meat
2 eggs
1/2 lbs fresh asparagus
Stock ingredients:
5 cups of all dashi stock above
1 tbs soy sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tbs dry sherry
1 tsp fresh chopped ginger
1 cup green onions and cilantro
4 tbs cornstarch added with 5 tbs water

Directions:
Slice asparagus and set aside.

Break eggs and set aside.
Heat 2 tbs oil in saucepan and stir-fry fresh ginger until fragrant. Stir in crab meat and cook for 2 minutes.

 Add the stock and bring to boil. Add asparagus. Bring back to boil.

Season with soy sauce, dry sherry, salt, and pepper. Stir gently the broken eggs into a thin stream. Stir in the cornstarch mixture and boil gently.

 Ladle soup into a serving bowl and sprinkle with green onions and cilantro.