Step 1

Peel and deveined the shrimp. Put them in a food processor and process them into a paste consistency. Add the rest of the ingredients. Use a chopstick and stir in one direction until it forms a sticky paste. Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Pinch off a bit of the paste and boil to have a taste test. If you are happy with the seasonings, cover the prawn paste and refrigerate until ready to be used, if not, add more salt/sugar/pepper to your preference

Step 2

Bring a medium-size pot of water to a boil. Prepare a bowl of ice water (optional). Wet both of your palms to prevent the paste from sticking to your hands. Scoop about 1 tablespoon of the paste and roll it into a round ball. You can roll all of them into balls and cook later or roll and cook at the same time. Drop the shaped balls into the boiling water and cook until they float to the top. Cook for another minute or until the inside is cooked through. Remove from the pot and dunk into the ice water if you choose to do so. This will "shock" the prawn balls. Then remove from the ice water into a plate. This can be kept in the fridge for 3-4 days or keep them frozen for up to one month

Step 3

Soak the fish maw in hot water until they are soft, about 25-30 minutes. Soak the dried shiitake mushrooms in hot water until plump. Set aside and prepare other things

Step 4

Put the oil and garlic in a pan. I like to start with a "room temperature" oil. Turn on the heat to low-medium and let the oil comes to a gentle bubble. Watch the garlic closely. Let them cook at this low heat until they turn golden brown. Once you see that they start to turn golden brown, remove from the heat immediately. The garlic gets burnt very fast. They will continue to cook in residual heat even after you remove from the heat. Transfer to a bowl or a jar and let them cool down. The garlic bits will continue to crisp up

Step 5

Pour chicken stock into a medium-size pot. Bring to a simmer. Add the fish maw, mushrooms, and carrots (or Napa cabbage if using). Bring the stock back to a boil and then lower the heat to simmer. Cover and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Make sure the heat is low enough but still have a gentle simmering going on to prevent the soup from boiling over

Step 6

After 15 minutes, check if the fish maws are soft enough. Add seasonings for the soup to your preference. Add the cooked prawn balls and cook for another minute. Turn off the heat

Step 7

Garnish with chopped green onion and cilantro leaves and drizzle of garlic oil with some of the crispy garlic bits. Serve immediately