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Poached egg with mushrooms in clear broth

Chicken broth with pine nuts, shiitake and a poached egg.

Traditional use

Time
Preparation 20 min (plus 30 min soaking), cooking 1 h 20 min
Makes
5 people
Pine

In Chinese cooking pine nuts are regarded as nourishing for strength and stamina. With eggs and chicken broth it becomes a strengthening soup.

Ingredients

  • 3 litres water
  • 15 g pine nuts (song zi), rinsed and crushed
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar in 1 litre water
  • 5 eggs
  • 750 g chicken pieces
  • 1 tbsp rice wine
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 5 large dried shiitake, soaked, stems removed, in strips
  • 1 spring onion, in rings

Step by step

  1. Simmer the pine nuts gently in the water for 30 minutes until about two thirds remains; strain.
  2. Bring the water with vinegar to the boil, turn the heat down and poach the eggs one by one for about a minute. Rinse them and set aside.
  3. Bring the pine nut broth to the boil, add the chicken and simmer gently for 45 minutes. Strain.
  4. Season the broth with rice wine, salt and pepper and add shiitake and spring onion.
  5. Let the eggs warm through for a minute and divide everything among five bowls.

Tips

  • Instead of eggs you can use fresh prawns.
  • Delicious with coriander and, in winter, a dash of sesame oil.

Registry

Herbs in this recipe

Read more about effects and safety on each herb’s page.

  • Caution

    North America · Herb · № 189

    Pine

    Pinus spp.

    The scent of needles and resin is experienced as fresh and cleansing. Pine buds and needles contain essential oil and vitamin C; a medicinal effect has hardly been studied.

    Haudenosaunee medicine+3Folklore
  • Caution

    Asia · Mushroom · № 145

    Shiitake

    Lentinula edodes

    An edible mushroom. Lentinan from shiitake is researched and used in oncology in Japan; there is little evidence for ordinary shiitake as an 'immune booster'.

    Chinese medical traditions+3

Cultures and traditions

Where the herbs come from

The herbs in this recipe also appear in these traditions.