老火湯LO FO TONG

百子櫃

百子櫃THE HUNDRED DRAWERS

Cornflour

豆粉
埋芡上漿

A fine white starch, slaked with water to thicken. A Cantonese kitchen uses it for one other job as well: rubbing pork tripe or intestine with starch and coarse salt, which is what strips the mucus off.

TCM properties

Nature · neutral Flavour · sweet Meridians · spleen、stomach

Traditional food therapy

A cooking material rather than a food-therapy ingredient.

Cautions: read first

  • Slake it in cold water before it goes in; straight into hot liquid it seizes into lumps.

Preparation

Mix one part starch to two parts cold water.

Origin

Mostly milled locally in Australia, with Chinese and Thai imports at Asian grocers. In the supermarket baking aisle and at Asian grocers

Availability in Australia

Common at Asian grocers

Pairs well with