Thick seafood and tofu soup (Haixian doufu geng)

1. Peel the shrimp and cut them and the scallops into 1 cm pieces; cut the silken tofu into 1 cm cubes and very finely chop the ginger.

2. Bring the water to the boil with the ginger, add the tofu and peas and simmer for 3 minutes.

3. Add the shrimp and scallops, drizzle with the Shaoxing rice wine and simmer for 1-2 minutes until the seafood is just cooked; season with salt and white pepper.

4. Mix the cornflour with the cold water and pour it into the soup, stirring constantly and gently; simmer for 1 minute until silky and thick.

5. Turn off the heat, lightly beat the egg whites and trickle them into the soup in a thin stream so white ribbons form.

6. Drizzle with sesame oil, sprinkle with spring onions and serve piping hot.

Tip: A favourite "geng" soup of Cantonese banquets: thick, silky and eaten with a spoon. Cook the seafood only briefly, or it turns rubbery – a frozen seafood mix works too.