Spinach Soup with Salted Duck Eggs
This spinach soup with salted duck eggs is a simple yet nourishing soup. Despite using just a handful of ingredients, it is surprisingly flavorful as the salted eggs add richness and depth to the broth.
Salted duck eggs are a traditional ingredient in Vietnamese and Chinese cooking and can be an acquired taste for those unfamiliar with them. You may have seen them in mooncakes or in popular savory dishes like shrimp with salted egg sauce or tofu with salted egg sauce. In soups, their umami flavor melts into the broth and makes the dish more special.
For this recipe, make sure to use mature spinach, usually sold in bunches at grocery stores, and don’t use baby spinach. Baby spinach is great in salads, but it is too soft and delicate for this dish.
The cooking process starts with separating the whites and yolks, then gently simmering them in vegetable stock or chicken stock. Once they are cooked through, add the spinach. The greens cook in just a couple of minutes, retaining their vibrant color. Finally, stir in a handful of goji berries (kỷ tử). They add a subtle sweetness, a bright pop of red, and a lovely contrast to the vegetables.
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Spinach Soup with Salted Duck Eggs
Ingredients
- 2 salted duck eggs
- ½ tablespoon Shaoxing wine or sake
- 3 cups low sodium vegetable stock or chicken stock (see Notes for more information)
- 10.5 oz mature spinach, cut into 2-3 inch long pieces
- 1 tablespoon goji berries, rinsed
Instructions
- Separate the yolks from the whites. Keep 1 egg white and discard the other. Cut each yolk into 3–4 pieces, then drizzle the Shaoxing wine (or sake) over the yolks.
- Bring vegetable stock or chicken stock to a boil. Then add the reserved egg white and yolk pieces. Cook up to 2 minutes.
- Add the spinach and bring the soup back to a boil. You should cook quickly, about 2 minutes, just until the spinach is tender but still has some pleasant bite.
- Add the goji berries and then turn off the heat. Transfer the soup to serving bowls and serve right away.
