Serious Eats / Qi Ai
Originating from Hangzhou, China, famous for its West Lake, this hearty soup has a similar cornstarch-thickened, silky texture as the ever-popular hot and sour soup, but with a delicately savory and herbaceous flavor, thanks to plenty of fresh cilantro. Although it’s traditionally made with minced beef, you can substitute ground pork or roughly chopped white fish fillet, such as cod or flounder. Egg whites, instead of whole eggs, impart a subtler flavor that allows the cilantro to shine, artfully suspended in the thickened broth dotted with meat and snowy white gossamer strands, as if it were leaves floating on the West Lake. If, like me, you don’t like cilantro, you can swap it for chopped scallions, watercress, or spinach, or any combination of the three.
