Ingredients
300 g river crabs, 2 egg whites, 12.5 g cooked ham (finely minced), 20 g fresh milk, 250 g chicken broth.
Seasonings
12.5 g each of minced scallion and minced ginger, and appropriate amounts of Shaoxing wine, salt, MSG, and water chestnut starch.
Instructions
1. Rinse the river crabs thoroughly under clean water, then soak them in fresh water for half an hour to allow them to purge any mud from their bodies.
2. Place the river crabs in a round-bottomed pot, add minced scallions and ginger, then use a wooden spatula to mash the crabs thoroughly. Wrap the mixture in a clean cloth and squeeze out the juice into a dry pot. Add chicken broth, salt, MSG, and wine, then bring to a boil over high heat. Skim off any foam from the surface, stir in a water chestnut starch slurry to thicken, then beat together egg whites and fresh milk, pour into the pot, and let it come to a quick boil. Drizzle with lard, immediately ladle into a soup bowl, and sprinkle with some minced ham to finish.