Guoqiao Mixian (Rice Noodles Crossing The Bridge) - cooking recipe

Ingredients

8 dried Chinese black mushrooms
9 ounces very fine Chinese egg noodles
1 ounce spinach
2 ounces boneless chicken breasts
2 ounces fish fillets, skinned and deboned
2 ounces shrimp or 2 ounces prawns, shelled
1/4 lb prosciutto ham, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon rice wine
1/8 teaspoon fresh ginger, chopped
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon soy sauce
6 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons chicken fat
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

Preparation

Soak the mushrooms in warm water for 20 minutes, drain, and set aside.
Blanch the spinach briefly in boiling water, drain, and set aside. Mix the rice wine, ginger, 1/8 tsp of the salt, and the soy sauce into a marinade. Slice the chicken, fish, prosciutto and prawns paper-thin. Spread out on a serving platter and add the marinade. Let stand.
Heat a pot of water to boiling and add the noodles. Bring back to a boil and cook uncovered until they are soft, about 4 minutes for dried noodles and 2 minutes for fresh ones. Drain in a colander and lay the spinach on top.
Bring the chicken broth to a boil in a saucepan and add the remaining 1/2 tsp of salt, and the chicken fat. Bring to a fast boil for 1 minute. Transfer to a tureen, previously filled with hot water and then drained, and bring to the table with the platter of meats and the colander of noodles.
Submerge four large ceramic soup bowls in the sink under hot tap water until they are very warm. Place 1/4 of the noodles in each bowl. On top of the noodles, place 1/4 of the fish, shrimp, chicken, spinach, mushrooms and prosciutto. Pour the boiling broth into the bowls and let them sit for 2 minutes. Top each bowl with a little cilantro and serve.