Chinese Snake Soup (Traditional Cantonese)
Python Recipe
1Setup & Prepare
About This Recipe
Traditional Cantonese snake soup with python meat, mushrooms, ginger, and Chinese herbs—a warming tonic soup prized for its health benefits.
Cultural Context
(140 words) Snake soup (蛇羹) is a legendary Cantonese delicacy traditionally consumed in autumn and winter to "warm the body" according to Traditional Chinese Medicine principles. High-end snake restaurants in Hong Kong and Guangdong have served this complex soup for centuries, using multiple snake varieties combined with medicinal herbs, mushrooms, and aromatics to create a rich, restorative broth. The soup is considered a tonic that improves circulation, strengthens the immune system, and provides vital energy. Preparation is labor-intensive, requiring meticulous cleaning, blanching, and long simmering to extract maximum flavor from snake bones and meat. Python's substantial size makes it ideal for this preparation, providing ample meat and bones for rich stock. This recipe represents Chinese culinary tradition at its most sophisticated, transforming snake into liquid comfort.
2Ingredients
Shopping List
3Cooking Instructions
- Blanch python pieces in boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse thoroughly to remove impurities and reduce gamey flavor.
- Place blanched python in large pot with 8 cups water, sliced ginger, scallions, rice wine, and star anise. Bring to boil, then reduce to gentle simmer. Cook for 2-3 hours until meat is tender and broth is flavorful.
- Strain broth through fine-mesh sieve, reserving liquid and python pieces separately. When cool enough to handle, pick meat from bones and shred finely. Discard bones and aromatics.
- In clean pot, heat vegetable oil over medium heat. Stir-fry julienned ginger until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add shiitake mushrooms, wood ears, and lily buds. Stir-fry for 3 minutes.
- Add reserved python broth and chicken stock. Bring to boil. Add shredded python meat, soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil, and white pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes to marry flavors.
- Gradually stir in cornstarch slurry, adding just enough to thicken soup to velvety consistency—it should coat a spoon but remain liquid, not thick.
- Taste and adjust seasoning. The soup should be deeply savory with complex umami notes.
- Serve hot in bowls, garnished generously with julienned egg, cilantro, crispy wonton strips, and fragrant lemon leaves. The textural variety is part of the experience.
4Chef's Notes & Pairings
Chef's Notes
- Using bones in the initial stock creates depth of flavor impossible to achieve otherwise.
- The soup should be silky and aromatic, not thick and gloppy—add cornstarch gradually.
- Dried mushrooms and lily buds are available at Asian grocers and add authentic flavor and texture.
- This soup is traditionally served at special occasions and believed to have warming, medicinal properties.
- For enhanced medicinal benefits, add goji berries and dried red dates (jujubes).
Wine Pairing
Chinese Rice Wine or Oolong Tea – Warm Shaoxing wine complements the medicinal herbs, or serve with hot oolong tea in traditional Chinese fashion.
Nutrition Facts
(per serving) Calories: 245 | Protein: 28g | Fat: 10g | Carbohydrates: 14g | Iron: 4.2mg
