Súp Măng Cua or Crab and Asparagus Soup is a traditional bisque usually served at dinner parties or wedding banquets. It is an easy soup to make that looks very classy once you get the hang of it. This is the go-to soup whenever my mom needs to make it for any parties. Guests rush to get a bowl before the pot is gone. I use real lump crab meat which makes a huge difference in this recipe. Many recipes use fake crab meat or canned crab meat, which is still good, but nothing tastes better than fresh crab meat.

This recipe is rated easy and takes approximately 30-35 minutes to prepare.

Ingredients

2 cups of fresh lump crab meat (frozen section or from a can if fresh crab meat is not available). I bought mine at Costco. 

½ of a whole chicken (rinsed so there are no impurities)

1 can of asparagus spears

3 eggs

4 cloves of minced garlic

½ of an onion

1 whole shallots, minced

½ teaspoon of sesame oil

8 tablespoons of tapioca starch

1 teaspoon of soy sauce

1 tablespoon of rock sugar

1 ½ teaspoon chicken Bouillon powder

½ teaspoon of fish sauce

2 teaspoons of sugar

salt

pepper

olive oil

a handful of cilantro for garnish

1-2 stalks of scallion for garnish

3 large slices of ginger (optional)

(*ginger not pictured)

Directions

In a large pot, boil 7 cups of water with 1 tablespoon of rock sugar and ½ teaspoon of salt.

Once the water comes to a boil, add the chicken and ½ of an onion and boil for 25 minutes on medium heat.  

The chicken will be cooked when you poke a hole into the meat and the liquid comes out clear.

Strain 1 can of asparagus spears and rinse well to remove any brine.  You will need the can asparagus because the recipe requires the asparagus to fall apart.  Freshly cooked asparagus will not work for this recipe.

Cut the asparagus into 3 sections.

Mince 4 cloves of garlic and 1 shallot.

After 25 minutes, the chicken should be cooked.  Set the chicken aside for another recipe such as shredded lime chicken.  We only need the fresh broth for this recipe.

Add 2 cups of water to the broth and let the liquid come to a boil.  Skim off the fat that floats to the top.

Add 2 cups of lump crab meat to the broth and stir to allow the crab meat to fall apart.  Turn the heat to medium.

Add asparagus to the broth and stir so the asparagus can also fall apart.

To the soup, add 1 teaspoon of salt, 2 teaspoons of sugar, 1 teaspoon of soy sauce, ½ teaspoon of sesame oil, ½ teaspoon of fish sauce and 1 ½ teaspoons of chicken bouillon powder.

Turn the heat up high to a boil.

In a bowl, beat 3 eggs until the mixture is fluffy.

In a small bowl, create the tapioca thickening agent by combining 8 tablespoons of tapioca starch with 6 tablespoons of water. Mix well.

When the soup comes to a boil, add 1 spoon of the tapioca thickening agent at a time while continuously stirring in a steady circular motion.  This will give the soup a bisque consistency without the cream.

Using the same method, add the egg mixture while continuously stirring.  The result should be “threads” of egg mixed with the soup.  

Add the ginger slices to give a hint of spice to the soup. This is optional.

In a pan, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and fry the minced shallots and garlic until they are golden brown. This will be the topping for the soup.

Top a bowl of soup with the fried shallots and garlic and garnish with a few slices of scallions and cilantro.

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Authors:  Susan Tran and Chau Hoang