Rinse all the dried goods, and you can take the cores out of the lotus seeds.
Blanch the pork shin whole (汆水, a quick boil to draw out blood and scum) and set it aside.
Put everything in the pot with 2.5 litres of water and bring to the boil over high heat.
Turn down to low, simmer for 2 hours and season with salt.
Who it suits
young and old alike
a steady, dependable home soup
hot weather, nourishing without being drying
Who should take care
Pregnant women should leave out the 薏米 job's tears
Not with a cold or a fever
People with gout or high uric acid should go easy on long-boiled meat soups
Soup stories
The name spells out the idea. 清 clears heat and damp, 補 builds qi and nourishes yin, and 涼 means it nourishes without being drying. That balance is about as close as you get to a definition of a Hong Kong home soup, it is a must at the height of summer, and every dried goods shop sells a ready-made 清補涼 soup packet.
“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.
問阿媽ASK AH MA
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.