Ginger and Clam Soup (姜丝蛤蜊汤)

Ginger and Clam Soup (姜丝蛤蜊汤) pictures (1 of 3)

Back I love soups of all sorts, especially Chinese soups. To the Chinese, soups are highly nourishing as each ingredient in the soup delivers a certain health (and beauty) benefit and promotes overall strengths to the body. Drinking soup is a huge part of the Chinese food culture, soup is often considered as “tonic” (補品). There are endless variations of soups in Chinese cuisine as so many ingredients could be used—Chinese herbal (medicinal), meat-based (chicken, pork, beef, duck, bones, etc.), vegetables (fresh and dried), dried seafood (dried scallops, abalone, oysters, etc.), fresh seafood, the exotics (bird’s nest, shark’s fin, etc.), and the combination of all the ingredients above. The possibilities are endless, and most importantly, delicious, wholesome, healthy, and certainly much more than the regular egg drop soup and hot and sour soup…

One of the easiest soups that I always make at home is ginger and clam soup, or 姜丝蛤蜊汤. This soup is especially popular for the Taiwanese, and served at Taiwanese restaurants. It takes only a few ingredients and practically 15 minutes to prepare, but the end result is absolutely pleasing. According to my Chinese soups cookbook, ginger and clam soup is great for the liver and stimulates a healthy appetite.

Ginger and Clam Soup Recipe (姜丝蛤蜊汤) Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into thin matchstick strips
1 lb Manila clams, rinsed and scrubbed
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine (not Shaoxing wine)
Salt to taste
Dash of white pepper Method: Bring the water to boil and add the ginger and clams. Cover the pot and let cook for about 3-5 minutes, or until all clams are open. Add the Chinese rice wine, salt to taste, and pepper. Dish out and serve immediately. Cook’s Note: For this recipe, please use the regular Chinese rice wine which is transparent in color, and not the amber-colored Shaoxing rice wine.