SHARK FIN SOUP
Shark Fin Soup is a Chinese soup that has been a popular item of Chinese cuisine since the Ming Dynasty, usually served at special occasions such as weddings and banquets or as a luxury item.This expensive delicacy has been revered in China for centuries.Shark's fin is prized for its slippery and glutinous texture that results in a thickened soup without the use of cornstarch, similarly to bird's nest, another Chinese top delicacies. Regarded as a tonic food and an aphrodisiac, the Chinese believe shark's fin strengthens the internal organs and retard aging.
Genuine Shark Fin Soup is made with shark fins obtained from any of a variety of shark species . Shark fins are the cartilaginous pectoral and dorsal fins of a shark. Strictly speaking, shark's fin is actually the cartilage, the flexible soft tissue of the fin. The top or dorsal fin has the highest quality and costliest, followed by the tail fin and lastly the side or pectoral fins. Basically, shark's fin is graded by its length - the longer the cartilage, the better the quality and can range from 3 to more than 30 cm long. Raw shark fins are processed by first removing the skin, trimming them to shape, and thoroughly drying them. Shark's fins are sold in frozen or dried form. The frozen one comes in strands are ready to use after an hour soaking. As for the dried form, there are two versions available - skinned (shredded) or un-skinned (whole) and they require more preparation.
To prepare the fins , they need to be soaked , rinsed , cleaned and then boiled for a long time . Over-boiling may 'dissolve' the fins, especially younger or shorter ones. Shark's fin is tasteless but has an amazing ability to bring out and enhance the flavor of other foods cooked with it. It is usually simmered in rich flavorful broth. In making shark's fin soup, first class restaurants would use superior stock or "high soup", a bowl of which is made from hours of simmering chickens, fine pork and ham, and at times with dried scallops and abalone into concentrated essence. Now you know why they can cost a bomb. Other ingredients like crab meats and eggs can be added while black vinegar makes a good accompaniment with shark's fin soup. A dash of whisky or brandy can be used in replace of vinegar to add a zip to it.
Shark fins, in common with other costly east Asian delicacies such as Bird's Nest Soup and Sea Cucumber, have very little flavor of their own.Their appeal lies more in their texture , nutritional value and also for the simple fact of their expense and supposed "rarity", as with many luxury goods.
Because of its high mercury level, it is recommended that pregnant women and young children avoid eating shark fins and if consumed in extremely large quantities, Shark Fin Soup may cause sterility in men due to mercury content.
thanks to all the sources : Wikipedia ; SingaporeLifestyle ; YourSingapore ; MakanTime ; and all the other sites and blogs
Genuine Shark Fin Soup is made with shark fins obtained from any of a variety of shark species . Shark fins are the cartilaginous pectoral and dorsal fins of a shark. Strictly speaking, shark's fin is actually the cartilage, the flexible soft tissue of the fin. The top or dorsal fin has the highest quality and costliest, followed by the tail fin and lastly the side or pectoral fins. Basically, shark's fin is graded by its length - the longer the cartilage, the better the quality and can range from 3 to more than 30 cm long. Raw shark fins are processed by first removing the skin, trimming them to shape, and thoroughly drying them. Shark's fins are sold in frozen or dried form. The frozen one comes in strands are ready to use after an hour soaking. As for the dried form, there are two versions available - skinned (shredded) or un-skinned (whole) and they require more preparation.
To prepare the fins , they need to be soaked , rinsed , cleaned and then boiled for a long time . Over-boiling may 'dissolve' the fins, especially younger or shorter ones. Shark's fin is tasteless but has an amazing ability to bring out and enhance the flavor of other foods cooked with it. It is usually simmered in rich flavorful broth. In making shark's fin soup, first class restaurants would use superior stock or "high soup", a bowl of which is made from hours of simmering chickens, fine pork and ham, and at times with dried scallops and abalone into concentrated essence. Now you know why they can cost a bomb. Other ingredients like crab meats and eggs can be added while black vinegar makes a good accompaniment with shark's fin soup. A dash of whisky or brandy can be used in replace of vinegar to add a zip to it.
Shark fins, in common with other costly east Asian delicacies such as Bird's Nest Soup and Sea Cucumber, have very little flavor of their own.Their appeal lies more in their texture , nutritional value and also for the simple fact of their expense and supposed "rarity", as with many luxury goods.
Because of its high mercury level, it is recommended that pregnant women and young children avoid eating shark fins and if consumed in extremely large quantities, Shark Fin Soup may cause sterility in men due to mercury content.
thanks to all the sources : Wikipedia ; SingaporeLifestyle ; YourSingapore ; MakanTime ; and all the other sites and blogs