A recipe from Phoenix Claws and Jade Trees. Photos: Clarkson Potter Publishers/Jody Horton
Here's a little-known fact: the humble soup – a mainstay of any authentic Chinese family dinner – has noble origins that dates back thousands of years. When Empress Wu Zetian, the only female ruler of China, came to power during the middle of the Tang Dynasty, she acquired a special fondness for the water banquet, a feast that consists of 24 dishes of soupy gravies and sauces, because she governed from Luoyang, a dry, arid region in Central China.
The moisture in the meals, it is said, improved and maintained her complexion. Officials from the empress’ court spread this soup culture as they expanded their administration, and a weakness for a bowl of steaming broth still persists till this very day, particularly in the Fujian province and southern China.
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