Frugal & Fantastic: Hong Kong-Style Fake Shark Fin Soup

Imitation shark fin soup, which literally translates to “shark’s fin in a bowl” in Cantonese, is often sold by street vendors in Hong Kong, and it’s one of my favourite street snacks growing up. It originated in Hong Kong in 1950s as an affordable and accessible alternative for the working class. The real shark fin soup is commonly served at banquets and is considered as a luxury item in the Chinese culture. However the process of making it is extremely cruel, as tens of millions of sharks are killed each year for this dish.

Here is my simplified version of the recipe using ingredients that are easy to find at any supermarket. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• Yellow auriculla

• Chinese mushroom

• Vermicelli

• Chicken

• Dark soy sauce

• Salt

• Sugar

• Corn starch

• Egg (optional)

Recipe

1. Prepare yellow auriculla and Chinese mushroom by soaking them in water for 5-6 hours

2. Preserve the water used to soak Chinese mushrooms (this will be added later to make the soup more flavourful!)

3. Slice them up

4. Soak vermicelli in hot water for 15 minutes ​and cut them in half

5. Shred cooked chicken breast or thighs (or any leftover chicken you may have in your fridge!)

6. Put everything along with some chicken broth and the preserved mushroom water to the pot and let it boil

7. Add dark soy sauce, salt and sugar to taste

8. Mix water and a bit of corn starch and pour them into the soup to create a thicker consistency

9. (optional) When it boils, add beaten egg to the soup and stir thoroughly

You can also try adding white pepper and vinegar to bring out the flavours even more!