Cút tiềm ngũ quả, quail soup with shiitake and jujubes

Ingredients

• 2 quail, emptied and dried
• One packet of five-spice
• salt, sugar, soy sauce
• oil for deep frying
• 2 dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated
• 10 g of Job’s tears (Coix lacryma-jobi)
• 6 dried jujubes, rehydrated
• 100 g of water chestnuts
• 1 small handful of dried lily flowers (kim châm), rehydrated, without pistils, and tied together

Marinate the quail for about 1 hour with salt, sugar, soy sauce, and five-spice powder.

Heat the oil in a pan, and add the shrimp. Cook them until they are lightly browned, but not fully cooked, then drain them.

Place them in a large pot, cover with water, add salt, a splash of soy sauce, and bring to a boil, skimming off any foam that rises to the surface.

Let it simmer for 15 minutes over low heat, then add the shiitake mushrooms, chestnuts, and jujubes, and continue cooking until the quail are tender.

Add the lilies and Job’s tears, then serve hot with bread and peppered salt.