Century egg and coriander broth

Ingredientsserves 6

Equipment

• A divided pot: century egg and coriander one side, satay the other
• A big basin to soak the coriander: the roots need a soak before the grit will come off

Split pot

Century egg and coriander broth on one side, Hong Kong satay broth on the other.

Method

1. Soak the coriander, roots and all, in a basin of water for ten minutes, then rub each root and the base of the stems clean. Change the water and wash again until no grit is left in the basin. Cut off the leaves and keep them aside; cut the roots and stems into lengths.
2. Peel the century eggs. Dice three and mash the fourth with the flat of a knife: the mashed one melts into the broth, clouding it a little and giving it the taste of egg.
3. For a milky broth, first fry the fish tail golden on both sides in a tablespoon of oil, pour in a litre and a half of boiling water and boil hard for five minutes. Without the fish, skip this step.
4. Add the chicken stock (and a litre and a half of water if you did not use the fish), the ginger and the coriander roots and stems, and boil hard for ten minutes to draw out the coriander.
5. Add the diced and mashed egg and boil five minutes more. Season with a little ground white pepper and taste before salting: the stock is already salted.
6. Pour it into the pot and put the tofu in first. The coriander leaves go to the table on a plate and in by the handful as you eat: put them in at the start and they turn yellow-black and lose their smell.
7. Fish, tofu and greens suit this pot best. Top it up with stock or boiling water, and bring more coriander leaves when the plate is empty.

The short route

• Two cartons of chicken stock with a litre of water, ginger, the coriander roots and two diced century eggs, boiled fifteen minutes.
• A fish-stock cube or fish soup-base sachet from the Chinese grocer also makes the base, with more water added.

What goes in this pot

• Fish slices: done when white
• Fish head: chopped, in early, until the flesh comes off the bone
• Tofu: in at the start
• Fresh bean-curd skin: soft after a quick dip
• Clams: done when they open; throw away any that stay shut
• Fried fish puffs: when they float, a little longer
• Spinach, pea shoots: last, a quick dip

What to put in, and for how long ›

The sauce plate

Sha cha and soyGarlic soy

Safe at the table

• Indoors, an induction plate or an electric hotpot is the safe choice. Australia’s gas safety regulators say butane cartridge stoves are for outdoor use only, because of the risk of carbon monoxide. If you do use one indoors, as Hong Kong homes do, keep it well ventilated, and never in a small or closed-up room.
• With a portable gas stove, never use a pot wider than the pot stand, about 20 cm at most unless the maker’s instructions allow more, and never one that reaches over the canister compartment. Never put two stoves side by side, and never leave one burning.
• Fit and remove the canister away from any flame or heat, with its notch facing up. Check for leaks with soapy water first, and do not use a stove that leaks or is damaged. Never put the stove on another cooker (an induction plate especially) or on anything hot, and put nothing between stove and pot that the maker did not supply: no foil, no extra stand.
• Buy a stove certified for Australia, set it on a level surface that will not burn, never on glass, and do not run it longer than the maker’s instructions allow. Keep sprays, lighters and paper well away. When you finish, turn it off, take the canister out and store it somewhere cool, dry and ventilated, never in a car or in the sun.
• Keep raw and cooked apart: use a separate pair of chopsticks or a slotted spoon for raw meat and seafood, and never eat from them.
• After topping the pot up, wait for it to come back to a full boil before anything goes in.
• Chicken, pork, liver and seafood must be cooked through before eating. Sliced pig’s liver needs at least three to five minutes at a full boil; Hong Kong’s Centre for Food Safety advises at least five minutes for seafood; clams boil until they open and then three to five minutes more, and any that stay shut are thrown away. Enoki boils at least two minutes and is never eaten raw.
• For pregnant women, children under five, older people and anyone with a weakened immune system: beef until no pink remains, and seafood for the full five minutes.
• Raw meat plates stay out no longer than two hours. Leftovers go into the fridge within two hours, keep no more than three days, and are reheated only once, until boiling hot.

Take care

• Century eggs are egg (usually duck egg), tofu is soy, the fish version contains fish, and carton stocks vary. Buy century eggs in a packed box marked lead-free, never loose eggs of unknown origin.
• Coriander roots hold a lot of soil: soak and wash them thoroughly. Fish heads and clams must be cooked through; throw away clams that stay shut.

The story

Coriander and century egg soup began as a quick Hong Kong household soup and became a hotpot base, one many people recognise at a glance as Hong Kong style. It is cheap, quick and light, so it is often the other half of a divided pot: satay on one side, century egg and coriander on the other.

Same kind

Clear chicken brothHong Kong satay brothPeppery pork-bone broth

Lo Fo Tong is cultural food-heritage reference, not medical advice. If you are pregnant, unwell or on medication, talk to your doctor or registered practitioner before changing what is in the pot.