My mum’s Vietnamese egg drop chicken and asparagus soup (sup mang ga) is a perfect winter warmer or starter for any meal. This soup is a variation of the popular Vietnamese crab and asparagus soup – sup mang cua. We have replaced the crab for chicken which makes it incredibly simple and cheap. The broth is made from scratch so you know exactly what is in it!
Chicken Frames vs Whole Chicken For Sup Mang Ga
I always have this dilemma whether to buy a whole chicken or frames. This is because the grocers around my place sell chicken frames anywhere between $2/kg – $4.50/kg. I believe this is particularly expensive when whole chickens are sometimes on special for $3.50/kg. Of course, these aren’t the corn fed, organic or free range chooks but in my opinion it shouldn’t even be a contest.
In terms of flavour, whole chickens will produce a better broth. The only downside in my opinion is what to do with the leftover meat. This is precisely the reason why I use frames for this recipe. I have on many occasions ended up throwing the rest of the chicken out after a week in my fridge. I feel absolutely terrible every time! So, if you are going to use a whole chicken, my advice is to buy a small size or have dishes in mind to use up the leftovers.
My Tips for Sup Mang Ga Success
- If you need to quicken up the soaking of the dried shiitake mushrooms, then put them in boiling water for 5 minutes. Remove the stalk and then cut the mushroom in half. Put it back into the boiling water. This will greatly hasten the soaking process.
- Whole chickens will make a better soup but the downside is that there will be lot of leftover chicken meat. Chicken frames do a good job and will not leave leftovers.
- It is completely possible to only use the meat off the chicken frames for this recipe. This will save you from buying a chicken breast.
- I prefer to use canned asparagus for this recipe because it gives more flavour. I know that sounds crazy but fresh asparagus does not work as well in this recipe.
- You must let the quail eggs cook in the soup for at least 15 mins so that it takes on the flavour of the soup. If you don’t, they will taste very bland and uninteresting.
- Only use cold water when dissolving the corn starch. If you use hot water, it will turn it into a paste which will not dissolve easily or at all into the soup.
- If you prefer a light coloured soup, then make sure to rinse and then squeeze the excess liquid from the shiitake mushrooms before adding them in.
Other Recipes You May Like
- Quick Chicken and Sweetcorn Soup
- Steph’s Chicken and Sweetcorn Soup (From Scratch)
- Clear Hot and Sour Soup
- Vietnamese Chicken Pasta Soup – Sup Nui Ga
- Simple Vietnamese Watercress and Pork Soup
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– Scruff
Egg Drop Chicken and Asparagus Soup – Sup Mang Ga
Ingredients
- 6 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked and thinly sliced
- 1 can asparagus (425 gm), washed and cut into 3 cm pieces
- 10 hard boiled quail eggs or 1x 425gm can of quail eggs, (Optional but highly recommended) (Available at Asian groceries)
- 1/3 chicken breast, shredded
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp cold water
Chicken Stock
- 2 chicken frames, cleaned
- 2 L water
- 2 brown onions, quartered
- 30 gm ginger, sliced
- 1 swede (rutabaga), peeled and chopped into small pieces
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
Garnish (optional)
- 4 sprigs coriander chopped
Instructions
- Soak the shiitake mushrooms in plenty of freshly boiled water for an hour.
- Boil 2L of water in a large pot. Once the water comes to the boil, turn up the heat onto high and add the chicken frames. Allow to boil for 10 minutes and skim off any scum that rises to the surface.
- Add all the chicken stock ingredients and the chicken breast to the pot. Once the water returns to the boil, continue to simmer on low – medium heat for 1 hr 15 mins. Every now and then remove the scum as it forms on the surface of the soup.Check on the chicken breast after 15 minutes, If completely cooked through, then let it cool and then shred. Set aside until needed.
- If you are using fresh quail eggs, boil them in a different pot on medium for 15 minutes. Set aside until needed.
- After 1 hr 15 mins remove the chicken frames from the pot and strain the stock. Squeeze out as much liquid from the vegetables as you can.
- Add the asparagus, peeled quail eggs, shredded chicken and shiitake mushrooms. NOTE: Before adding the sliced shiitake mushrooms, be sure to squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
- Allow the soup to develop the flavours for another 20 minutes on low medium heat.
- Swirl the soup with a large spoon in a circular motion and then add the beaten egg.
- Combine the cornstarch with cold water and add to the pot. Stir until thickened.
- Taste the soup and adjust if necessary. Serve and garnish while hot.
wow, that is the soup I would go for right now! thanks for sharing 🙂
Thanks for all the delicious recipes and the interesting stories .i enjoy reading your blog.
Thank you for your kind words Caro!
Your recipes sound fabulous, can’t wait to try x
I hope it goes well Lia! Thanks for dropping by.