Shark fin soup and I… What a history we have.
Being of Chinese descent, my journey of boycotting shark fin has not been far from smooth-sailing.
From being ridiculed, to losing friends, to nearly getting ostracized by my relatives, I have learned a lot about dealing with issues where familial ties are involved.
Thankfully, I’ve come out wiser, more compassionate, and with my stand against shark fin being stronger than ever.
Shark finning, apart from being a bizarre practice of ego and ecological destruction, is also not even healthy for us to consume.
And… did you know that it’s happening right here in Malaysia?
The soup base that the fin is so often cooked in, however, is something I’ve always found delicious (the fin itself is completely tasteless). And I’ve managed to recreate the broth, without the cruelty!
Have fun making this soup for your reunion dinner or, even perhaps, if you’re vaguely curious should you have never tried the original dish before!
Shark's Fun Soup
A cruelty-free version of shark fin soup: a mushroom-based broth with a tang of vinegar and the slippery, crunchy texture of konnyaku strips.
Ingredients
- 1.5 litres water
- 1 cup konnyaku jelly strips
- 1 packet enoki mushrooms
- 2/3 cup dehydrated shitake mushrooms
- 3/4 cup black fungus
- 200g (or about 1 cup) of firm tofu
- 3 tsp brown rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp molasses
- 2 tsp salt
- Starch solution:
- 6 tbsp cornstarch in 4 tbsp water
Directions
- Step 1 Soak shitake mushrooms overnight in water.
- Step 2 Bring mushroom-soaking water to the boil. As it heats, mix together vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, molasses and salt.
- Step 3 Pour sauce mixture into water, followed by jelly strips, both types of mushrooms, tofu and black fungus. Stir occasionally.
- Step 4 Once soup starts to bubble again, pour in starch solution and stir for another 5 minutes, until soup starts to thicken.
- Step 5 Turn off heat and serve immediately.
