Tomato

The common tomato, used ripe and red for the pot. Washed and quartered (often sautéed first for a deeper, borscht-style broth) it gives soups body, colour and a bright sweet-sour lift alongside potato, corn or fish tail.

TCM properties

Nature · cooling　Flavour · sweet、sour　Meridians · liver、spleen、stomach

Traditional food therapy

In Cantonese food therapy tomato is used to whet the appetite, ease food stagnation and generate fluids to quench thirst.

Cautions: read first

• Keep it moderate if you have excess stomach acid
• Unripe green tomatoes contain solanine, do not use them

Preparation

Wash and cut into pieces; frying them fragrant first makes a richer soup (the borscht style, 羅宋湯).

Origin

Grown in every Australian state. Australian retail is locally grown (Roma, truss and cherry lines)

Availability in Australia

Easy to find

Pairs well with