隔水燉 (double boiling, where the jar sits in water rather than over direct heat): put the ingredients in the 燉盅 and pour in about 1 litre of boiling water to just cover, put the lid on and seal the jar with cling film (traditionally 紗紙, mulberry paper), stand it in a pot of boiling water filled to a third or half way up the jar, and cook for 3 hours, topping up with boiling water along the way. Salt goes in last. Orange 蟲草花 turns the soup golden.
Soak and rinse the 蟲草花. Rinse the dried 淮山, goji berries and red dates, pitting the dates.
Chop the fresh chicken into pieces and blanch it (汆水, a quick boil) to draw off the blood.
Put everything into the 燉盅 (double-boiling jar) and pour in boiling water to just cover.
Seal the jar and double boil (隔水燉, the jar sits in water rather than over direct heat) for 3 hours.
Season with salt and it is ready.
Who it suits
a sensitive nose
a sensitive airway
people who tire easily
ringing in the ears, traditionally read as kidney weakness
Who should take care
no double-boiled tonics while you have a cold with fever
few restrictions, most people can drink it; neutral in nature, neither cooling nor drying, suitable for all ages
Soup stories
蟲草花 is farmed 蛹蟲草, the everyday stand-in for 冬蟲夏草 at a small fraction of the price. It is a regular on double-boil shop menus, in dishes like 蟲草花無花果燉雞 and 椰小盅's 蟲草花乾貝土雞燉鮮鮑.
moistens the lungssupports the kidneyssoothes cough3.5h slow fireWinter
百子櫃Cordyceps· 3 to 5 pieces百子櫃Teal (small wild-type duck)· 1百子櫃Dried fig· 2百子櫃Aged dried tangerine peel· a quarter piece街市Fresh ginger· 2 slices
“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.