Double-boil (隔水燉, the covered pot sits in a pan of simmering water) in a one to two serve pot with 400 to 800 ml of water: put the ingredients in the pot and pour in boiling water to just cover, seal with cling film (traditionally 紗紙, a thin gauze paper) and put the lid on, with the water in the outer pan coming one third to halfway up the side of the pot, then double-boil for 3 hours [common practice]. Some Chinese medicine practitioners hold that cordyceps itself should not be cooked that long, so it can be added later and given 30 minutes to 1 hour. Salt goes in last.
Brush the 冬蟲夏草 (cordyceps) clean of grit with a soft brush.
Chop the fresh chicken into pieces and blanch it (汆水, a quick boil that draws out the blood and scum) together with the lean pork.
Put everything in the double-boiling pot and pour in 400 to 800 ml of boiling water.
Seal with cling film, put the lid on and double-boil (隔水燉, the covered pot sits in a pan of simmering water) for 3 hours, or add the cordyceps later and give it only 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Season with salt just before drinking.
Who it suits
aching lower back from kidney depletion
long standing cough and breathlessness from weak lungs
feeling weak after illness
Who should take care
Avoid with a cold or fever
Avoid during menstruation
Avoid if you have a hot constitution
Avoid if you have high blood pressure or have had a stroke
Not for infants
Check with a doctor first during radiotherapy for a tumour
People with gout should take care, long double-boiled meat soups are high in purines (general warning across this collection)
Soup stories
The most expensive herb in the Hong Kong double-boiling repertoire. The duck version, cordyceps double-boiled with teal, is the older Cantonese pairing (see the long-boiled soup listing), and chicken is the everyday stand-in.
“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.