The Seaweed Soup My Dad's Made 100,000 Times

Method8 steps · about 30 min

1. 1

   Step 1: Rinse the dried seaweed (1/2 oz) to remove sand, then soak in water for around 10 minutes. Wash the dried shrimp (1/2 oz) twice and soak in a separate small bowl of hot water for about 5 minutes until rehydrated. Reserve the clean shrimp soaking liquid for the soup; discard the seaweed’s soaking water and any settled sand.

   Soak seaweed · 10 minUses 1/2 oz dried seaweed · 1/2 oz dried shrimp · Water, for rinsing seaweed/shrimp/produce and soaking, as needed

2. 2

   Step 2: Crack the eggs (2) into a bowl so they'll be ready for later. We'll cut the napa cabbage (6 oz) into manageable bites. Make two length-wise cuts, and then chop into pieces about 1-2 inches wide. The stem pieces should be smaller than the leafy pieces to account for cooking time.

   Uses 2 eggs · 6 oz napa cabbage · Water, for rinsing seaweed/shrimp/produce and soaking, as needed

3. 3

   Step 3: Slice the lean pork (5 oz) into strips, or use the source alternative of slices/minced pork. In a bowl, smooth together the separate 1/2 tsp marinade salt, 1 tsp cornstarch and 1 tbsp marinade water, then mix thoroughly into the pork. Keep refrigerated until adding to the soup.

   Uses 5 oz lean pork · 1/2 tsp salt, for pork marinade · 1 tsp cornstarch, for pork marinade · 1 tbsp water, for pork marinade

4. 4

   Step 4: Heat a soup pot over high heat with the 1 tbsp oil. Lift in the rehydrated dried shrimp from step 1, retaining their clean soaking liquid. Cook the shrimp for 50–60 seconds until fragrant.

   Uses 1 tbsp cooking oil · Rehydrated dried shrimp, drained; soaking liquid reserved

5. 5

   Step 5: Add the 14 oz chicken broth and reserved clean shrimp soaking liquid from step 1 to the shrimp base from step 4. Add the separate 6 cups soup water, cover and bring to a boil.

   Uses Fragrant shrimp/oil soup base · 14 oz chicken broth · 6 cups water, for soup · Reserved clean shrimp soaking liquid

6. 6

   Step 6: Add the chopped napa cabbage from step 2 to the boiling soup from step 5, cover and return to a boil, about 1 1/2 minutes as a guide. Drain the hydrated seaweed from step 1 and add it, leaving any sand behind. Stir in the marinated pork from step 3 so the pieces separate and cook evenly. Reduce to medium, beat the eggs cracked in step 2 and slowly pour them into the soup while stirring to make egg ribbons. Return to high heat and cook until the pork is cooked through, the egg ribbons are fully set and the mixture reaches 71°C/160°F, including any minced pork if that option is used.

   Uses Boiling shrimp/broth soup · Chopped napa cabbage · Hydrated seaweed, drained and separated from sand · Marinated lean pork · Eggs cracked into a bowl, beaten here

7. 7

   Step 7: Season the cooked soup from step 6 with the separate 1 tsp soup salt, 1/2 tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp fish sauce and one dash of white pepper.

   Uses Fully cooked pork/seaweed/egg soup · 1 tsp salt, for soup · 1/2 tsp sesame oil · 1 tsp fish sauce · 1 dash white pepper

8. 8

   Step 8: Taste the finished soup from step 7 and add extra salt only if needed. Serve in a shared bowl with individual serving bowls.

   Uses Seasoned seaweed soup · Extra salt, only if needed after tasting the finished soup