Nanjing — Duck Blood Vermicelli Soup

Nanjing — Duck Blood Vermicelli Soup

　　It seems that using duck blood in vermicelli soup is unique to Nanjing. As far as I know, there are two best places to try it: one on Zhenghong Street (a well-known shopping street in Nanjing), and the other in a small alley behind the Gulou Telecom Bureau. Both shops are very small, with a large pot set up right at the entrance where duck offal soup is kept boiling continuously. The prepared vermicelli is briefly blanched in the soup, scooped into a bowl, topped with broth, and garnished with ingredients: duck blood, duck intestines, duck liver, pickled mustard tuber, coriander, and chili oil. The cooks work with remarkable speed, completing the whole process in less than a minute. Even so, there’s often a line, and you have to wait by the pot yourself to get the freshest serving. Standing by the pot, you’re greeted by the warm, rich aroma of duck blood and intestines wafting over — it really whets your appetite. Duck blood soup is a humble street snack, and it currently costs only three or four yuan. The flavor of the soup is paramount, likely thanks to some secret recipe, and it’s incredibly rich. Some shops make especially good duck intestines — can you imagine biting into intestines that are delightfully crispy? (Nanjing)