Ingredients

One whole 2kg free-range chicken 柴鸡 cháijī
250g boneless pork (猪肉 zhūròu), chopped into 2-3 cm cubes
250g duck meat (鸭肉 yāròu), chopped into 2-3 cm cubes
2 matsutake mushrooms 松茸 sōngróng
2 porcini mushrooms 牛肝菌 niúgānjùn
2 brown clamshell mushrooms 蟹味菇 xièwèigu
2 white mushrooms 白玉菇 báiyùgu
2 bok choy hearts 油菜心 yóucàixīn
2 bamboo shoots 竹笋 zhúsǔn
2 stalks of asparagus 芦笋 lúsǔn
Salt 盐 yán
Sugar 糖 táng

Instructions

1. Remove the spine from the chicken, then cut into two pieces, discarding all visible bones.

2. Bring 2L of water to a boil in a large stockpot. Add the three meats, and allow to simmer for 8 hours, making sure to keep the bubbles sized like fish eyes (鱼眼泡 yú yǎnpào).

3. After 8 hours, remove the chicken, pork and duck from the soup using a slotted spoon. Discard all meats, except the breast of the chicken, and remove pot from heat. Mince the breast, then add it to a bowl with 10ml water, and stir to combine with chopsticks.

4. Add the minced chicken breast back to the pot, slowly and carefully. Bring it back to a boil, then reduce heat, and simmer for 3 hours. (Keep the bubbles sized like fish eyes!) After 3 hours, remove and discard the chicken mince from the pot, and filter the soup through a colander. This is Clear Soup (清汤 qīngtāng).

5. Now chop the mushrooms and vegetables into 1-2 cm wide slices, about 3-4 cm long.

6. Bring 400ml water to a boil, adding one teaspoon of salt and one teaspoon of sugar. Stir once, carefully. When the salt and sugar have dissolved, carefully add all the vegetables. Stir slowly, to keep them from sticking. As the vegetable slices float to the surface, ladle them from the pot and set them aside.

7. Once more, bring the Clear Soup to a boil. Then add the pre-boiled vegetables. Boil for about 5 minutes, then add a teaspoon of salt, and a teaspoon of sugar. Now you have your Clear Mushroom Soup.