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Double-boiled chicken with cordyceps
“The pot she makes when someone needs looking after.”
Ingredientsone pot, serves 4
Method
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. 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.
From the same family
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.