Fish maw and chicken broth

Ingredientsserves 6

Equipment

• A large stockpot that holds five litres
• A large bowl or tub to soak the fish maw in the fridge
• The broth is thick: at the table use a heavy-based pot and a lower flame, and stir

How the time splits

1. 12 hrSoak the fish maw the night before, in the fridge, changing the waterhands off
2. 20 minBlanch the fish maw and the hen separatelyhands on
3. 2 hrThe chicken stock simmershands off
4. 20 minLift out the hen; the cut chicken goes inhands off
5. 20 minFish maw in, a hard boil until the broth turns golden, stirringhands on

Method

1. The night before, put the fish maw in a large bowl, cover it with water and put it in the fridge, changing the water once or twice. Thin maw is soft after one night; thick maw needs one to two days, and a short boil once it is soft before it is ready.
2. When the maw is soft, blanch it for three to five minutes in boiling water with two slices of ginger, the spring onion and the wine, rinse it in cold water and cut it into large pieces. Blanch the hen and the feet separately from cold water and rinse them.
3. Bring four litres of water to the boil in a large pot, add the hen, the feet, three slices of ginger and the dates, turn the heat down and simmer with the lid ajar for two hours.
4. Lift out the hen and the feet and leave the stock in the pot. Add the chopped chicken, bring it back to the boil and cook over medium heat for twenty minutes.
5. Add the fish maw, turn the heat up and boil hard for twenty minutes: the broth turns golden and thickens. The maw goes in last because, put in early, it falls apart by the end and the broth catches on the bottom. Add the goji for the last ten minutes, then taste and salt.
6. At the table, everyone has a bowl of the soup first, then the chicken and the maw, and only then does the hotpot begin.
7. The broth is thick, so keep the flame under it lower than under a clear pot and stir the bottom whenever food goes in; top it up with stock or boiling water. Finish with thick noodles or rice vermicelli to soak up the chicken broth.

The short route

• Some dried-seafood shops and Chinese grocers' freezers carry fish maw already soaked: thaw, blanch and use it, and the night's soak is saved.
• Two cartons of chicken stock with a litre of water, a chopped chicken and ginger, cooked forty minutes with the maw in for the last twenty, does most of the work.
• Without the maw it is still a good chicken base, and the hotpot goes on as usual.

What goes in this pot

• Chicken pieces: already in the broth, eaten first
• Fish maw: eaten after the first bowl of soup
• Fish slices: done when white
• Prawns, scallops: prawns when red, scallops when white
• Bamboo fungus: soaked, cut, a few minutes
• Shiitake, tofu: in early
• Baby wombok: last
• Thick noodles, rice vermicelli: to finish, soaking up the chicken broth

What to put in, and for how long ›

The sauce plate

Garlic soyGinger soyChilli 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

• Fish maw is fish; Shaoxing wine is brewed with wheat (gluten), so leave it out for anyone allergic to wheat. The seafood, balls and dumplings that go in later bring crustacean, wheat and soy.
• Chicken pieces must boil until there is no pink when cut and no blood at the bone. Soak the maw in the fridge, never overnight at room temperature. The thick broth catches easily: keep the flame low and stir.

The story

Fish maw and chicken was a long-simmered soup of Hong Kong restaurants and homes before hotpot shops took it up as a base. It is eaten in order: the soup first, then the chicken and the maw, and only then the hotpot. Fish maw is a dried good Hong Kong holds dear, so a pot of it on the table says you are being treated.

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.