Teasing the palate by mixing the sweet and savouries, which Ferran Adria is famous for, is not new in Asian cuisine. A good example would be gingko nut and “foo chuk”, dried bean curd skin. These versatile ingredients are commonly seen in Chinese desserts like “Fu Ju Ji Dan Tang Shui” (Bean Curd Skin Dessert with Boiled Quail Eggs) and Snow Fungus Soup (Gingko), but also in main dishes like braised bean curd skin and Ba Chang (Rice dumpling in lotus leaf). This could be because they do not taste much by themselves, therefore they work well both in the sweet and savoury camps.

A common dish that enlists both gingko nut and dried bean curd skin is “Bai guo fu ju yi mi” (Gingko, bean curd skin and barley soup). It is a dessert said to be good for the skin and the brain. But have you thought of turning the same ingredients into a savoury soup? I know a family that cooks them with dried oyster, pork ribs and chicken feet, a recipe passed down by their deceased mother, who was a Cantonese. The number of ingredients may be minimal, but the result is as sublime as what a Michelin star chef will bring to your table. Don’t believe? Why don’t you give it a try?

Recipe (for 4-6 persons)

200g gingko nuts, de-shell and remove the “heart”

200g dried bean curd skin, soaked to soften

150-200g dried oyster, washed and soaked in water

500g chicken feet, washed

300g pork ribs, washed and blanched

3 litre water

Salt to taste

*Note: if you don’t really enjoy the taste of dried oysters, you could add more pork ribs instead.

Boil the water over high heat.

Once it starts boiling, add the chicken feet, pork ribs and dried oysters.

Let it boil for 45 minutes over medium heat.

Turn the fire to low heat and let it boil for another 2 hours. (To shorten cooking time, use a pressure cooker)

Add some salt according to taste.

Add the gingko nuts and beancurd skin. Allow it to bowl for another half an hour.

Turn off the fire and the soup is ready to be served.