Clear chicken broth

Ingredientsserves 6

Equipment

• A large stockpot that holds five litres
• A table burner and a divided pot: clear chicken one side, mala the other
• A pot of boiling water or plain stock by the burner for topping up

How the time splits

1. 15 minBlanch the hen and chicken feet and start the stockhands on
2. 1 hr 30 minThe stock simmers, lid ajarhands off
3. 35 minCorn and carrot in, and it simmers onhands off
4. 10 minLift out the bones, strain, salt it lightlyhands on

Split pot

Clear chicken broth on one side, Mala broth on the other.

Method

1. Halve the hen, trim the claws off the chicken feet, and put both into cold water. Bring to the boil, boil five minutes more, tip the water away and rinse them clean.
2. Bring five litres of fresh water to the boil, add the hen, the feet, the ginger and the knotted spring onion, turn the heat down and simmer with the lid ajar for an hour and a half, skimming the fat and foam once or twice.
3. Add the corn, the carrot and the washed coriander roots and simmer another thirty to forty minutes; the stock turns clear and sweet.
4. Lift out the hen and the feet and strain the stock; you should have a little over three litres. Salt it lightly, a teaspoon at most, because the fish balls, beef balls and marinated meat that go in later all bring salt with them.
5. Keep back a litre of stock, or a kettle of boiling water, by the burner. At the table, fill the pot only two-thirds full and wait for a full boil before anything goes in. When it runs low, top it up with stock or boiling water, never with salt, and let it come back to the boil before more raw food goes in.
6. Corn, mushrooms and tofu go in first to flavour the pot; then beef, fish, prawns and balls a little at a time; greens and noodles last. At the end the soup is still good to drink: bring it to a full boil first.

The short route

• A carton of clear chicken stock with a litre of water, three slices of ginger and two spring onions, boiled fifteen minutes, is the base.
• Always half stock and half water: carton stock is already salted, and two hours on the burner makes it saltier.
• A chicken hotpot soup-base sachet from the supermarket or Chinese grocer also works, but it is already seasoned, so add more water.

What goes in this pot

• Shaved beef: ten seconds, eat it when it changes colour
• Fish slices: done when white; do not leave them in
• Prawns: done when red and curled
• Fish balls, beef balls: when they float, one minute more
• Dumplings, wontons: when they float, a minute or two more
• Tofu, corn: in early, to flavour the pot
• Lettuce, watercress: last, a quick dip
• Instant noodles: to finish, soaking up the broth

What to put in, and for how long ›

The sauce plate

Garlic soyGinger soyChilli soySha cha and 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

• The base itself is only chicken and vegetables; carton stocks vary, and some contain wheat (gluten) or soy, and some contain MSG (not a declared allergen), so read the pack if anyone has an allergy. Once seafood has been cooked in it, anyone allergic to fish, crustaceans or molluscs should not drink the broth.
• After topping up, wait for a full boil before raw food goes in. Leftover broth goes into the fridge within two hours and is brought to a full boil when reheated.

The story

Clear broth is the everyday Hong Kong hotpot base, and plenty of families make it by opening a carton of chicken stock and adding water. It takes nothing away from what goes in, beef, fish or balls, which is why one side of a divided pot is so often clear chicken, kept for the children and anyone who does not eat chilli.

Same kind

Hong Kong satay brothPeppery pork-bone brothCentury egg and coriander 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.