Hot and Sour Soup 酸辣湯

Sour is one of the four basic tastes (the other three are salty, sweet and bitter). In recent years, scientists have confirmed that there is another taste called umami (means delicious and taste in Japanese). It is described as savory and meaty and is produced by a common amino acid glutamate. Actually the discovery of this taste is not new. In 1909, a Japanese scientist called Ikeda had isolated a white compound from sea kelp. It is believed that this compound--glutamate/glutamic acid--gives savory and meaty flavor in food. It has been isolated by the food industry and is now commonly known as monosodium glutamate (MSG). Until recently in 2000, the receptor in our tongue for glutamate has been discovered. As a result, the fifth taste--umami--is formally confirmed.

Imitation Shark's Fin Soup 碗仔翅

Abalone, sea cucumber, shark's fin and fish maw are the four supreme delicacies of Chinese cuisine. No banquet is complete without at least one of the four. If all are served, it usually symbolizes how greatly the guests are honored by the host (or how wealthy the host is).

All four delicacies are seafood that have been carefully preserved by drying. They can be kept for a very long time and each of them requires a special method to prepare. Without proper preparation, it will be a waste of money. This is the main reason most people would rather enjoy it in restaurants than doing it at home and risking a mistake during the cooking process.

It has been over a year that shark's fin has been banned in California. But I find the imitation version of it is texturally very close to the real thing. It is consists of gelatin and resembles vermicelli (bean threads). Both the imitation and the real fin are tasteless. The soup gets its flavor mainly from other ingredients and the stock. It is a great alternative to the real fin and good for preserving marine ecosystems as well!