Hair Vegetable and Cuttlefish Soup (Hotel Style)
发菜墨鱼羹汤（酒店同款） · cantonese cuisine
This silken cuttlefish soup thickened with sweet potato starch is a signature soup served at Chinese banquet hotels, but it comes together at home in roughly fifteen minutes.
Gus WhitfieldRetired firefighter in Texas, been smoking brisket since before it was cool. Low and slow is the only way. Still burn the rice sometimes, don't judge.Nutrition & allergens
No supported allergens detected from surveyed ingredients.
Some ingredients are not yet allergen-surveyed; this label is not exhaustive.
Per serving (4 servings)
- Energy (kcal)
- Unknown
- Protein (g)
- Unknown
- Fat (g)
- Unknown
- Carbs (g)
- Unknown
- Sodium (mg)
- Unknown
Estimated from verified ingredient data for the original formula — not lab values, and one dish is not a full meal.
Techniques you'll use
- Marinating ↗
Season protein ahead with soy, wine, and starch for flavor and texture.
- Starch-coating chicken ↗
Prepare a thin coating before cooking chicken for a stir-fry.
- Blanching (chao shui) ↗
Par-cook in boiling water to clean, tighten, or prep ingredients.
- Simmering (dun) ↗
Gentle low-heat cooking in liquid until flavors merge and meat softens.
- Starch thickening (gou qian) ↗
Thicken sauce so it clings to every piece.
Steps
Clean the cuttlefish: remove the innards and peel off the thin black membrane on the surface. Marinate it with white pepper, cooking wine, and salt.
✅ Done when: The cuttlefish is fully cleaned, with no innards or black membrane remaining, and sits coated in the marinade.
Add sweet potato starch and massage it evenly into the cuttlefish; let it marinate for a few minutes.
✅ Done when: The cuttlefish pieces are evenly coated with starch and have rested for a few minutes.
- 3
Step 3
Soak a small pinch of hair vegetable (fat choy) in clean water and set aside.
✅ Done when: The hair vegetable is softened and hydrated after soaking in water.
- 4
Step 4
Add a few slices of ginger and a small spoonful of cooking oil to a pot and bring the water to a boil.
✅ Done when: The water in the pot reaches a rolling boil with the ginger slices in it.
Add the diced carrot and enoki mushrooms and cook for 3 minutes.
✅ Done when: After 3 minutes of simmering, the carrot is tender and the enoki mushrooms are cooked through.
Turn the heat to low, add the marinated cuttlefish, and gently push it around with a spoon to keep it from sticking; cook for about 1 minute.
✅ Done when: After about 1 minute, the cuttlefish pieces have turned opaque and firm.
Add the soaked hair vegetable, raise the heat to high, and let the soup come back to a boil a few times.
✅ Done when: The soup returns to a full, rolling boil over high heat.
Mix a spoonful of sweet potato starch with an appropriate amount of water until smooth, then stir it into the soup to thicken.
✅ Done when: The soup has visibly thickened to a silky, gravy-like consistency.
- 9
Step 9
Season with salt, MSG, and white pepper to taste, then add the chopped Chinese celery and scallion. The hotel-style soup is ready to serve.
✅ Done when: The seasonings are fully dissolved and the chopped celery and scallion are freshly scattered on top, ready to serve.