Sea Cucumber Abalone and Fish Maw Soup

Ingredients
1 packet sea cucumber (frozen fresh type) - cleaned, blanched and cut into pieces
3 pieces dried fish maw - blanched, drained and cut into pieces
1 can abalone
4 dried shitake mushrooms -soaked, drained and trimmed
12 fresh white mushrooms - cleaned
2 slices of ginger
10 white peppercorns - lightly crushed
handful of sliced hua qi sheng (american ginseng)
handful of goji berries
few slices of dang gui
1 pot chicken stock

Method

1. Place all ingredients except abalone into the slow cooker and cook for 5 hours or more.
2. When ready to serve, ladle some soup from the slow cooker into a small pot.
3. Cook the abalone for a few minutes.  Transfer the boiled abalone onto a chopping board and sliced thinly.  Return the soup to the slow cooker.
4. Ladle soup into serving bowls and arrange sliced abalone on top.
5. Serve warm with rice.