百子櫃 ›
A large marine sea snail prized across Chinese cuisine, used in soups dried (the luxury form, needing days of soaking and steaming), canned or fresh in the shell. In the pot it gives a springy, satisfying bite and a rich, rounded umami; home soups mostly use canned or fresh abalone, whose shell is itself the herb shi kyut ming and can go in the pot too.
Nature · neutral Flavour · sweet、salty Meridians · liver
In Cantonese food therapy it is used to nourish yin, clear heat, brighten the eyes and replenish essence, with the tradition also crediting it (and its shell) with calming liver yang.
Dried abalone takes several days to rehydrate (changing the water daily, then steaming and resting it back to softness), which is a high bar. Home soups mostly use canned abalone or fresh abalone in the shell, and the shell is itself the herb shi kyut ming (石決明), which can go into the pot too.
乾鮑以日本東北（岩手吉品鮑、網鮑）為頂級；澳洲、南非為主要現代產地 — Australia farms and cans its own abalone; specialist dried supply exists locally (Fortune Abalone Australia) — price pass pending
Herbal shops / specialists
“The pot she makes when someone needs looking after.”
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.