老火湯LO FO TONG

All soups › Family classics

Double-boiled chicken with notoginseng (tienchi)

田七燉雞 (黨參田七棗仁燉烏雞)
replenishes qirelaxes sinews and jointspostpartum nourishmentAll yearWinter double-boiled · 2 hours Not yet surveyed (we say so honestly)

“The pot she makes when someone needs looking after.”

Ingredients

街市Silkie (black-boned chicken)· head, feet and innards removed, then blanched, or use 1 chicken leg for a smaller pot1
百子櫃Notoginseng· crushed; the prepared 熟田七 is gentler15 g
百子櫃Codonopsis root30 g
百子櫃Sour jujube seed20 g

Method

Double-boiled (隔水燉, cooked in a covered pot sitting in a pan of boiling water). Put the ingredients in the stewing pot with 4 to 5 bowls of boiling water, put the lid on and seal it with cling film, traditionally gauze paper. Sit it in a pan of boiling water reaching one third to halfway up the pot and cook for 2 hours, with the salt going in last. There is also a folk whole-chicken version, a 項雞 young chicken of about 1.25 kg with 50 g of sliced prepared 田七, 4 to 5 red dates, a few slices of ginger, and 陳皮 dried tangerine peel, goji berries and Chinese yam to taste.

  1. Crush the 田七 notoginseng, using the prepared 熟田七 if you want it gentler, and rinse the 黨參 codonopsis and 酸棗仁 sour jujube seed.
  2. Take the head, feet and innards off the black-boned chicken, chop it into pieces and blanch it (汆水, a quick boil to draw out blood and scum), or use one chicken leg for a smaller pot.
  3. Put everything into the stewing pot and pour in 4 to 5 bowls of boiling water.
  4. Seal the pot and double-boil for 2 hours.
  5. Season with salt and it is ready.

Who it suits

  • a blood-stasis constitution
  • looking after the heart and circulation
  • knocks, sprains and overuse injuries
  • clearing stasis after childbirth (postnatal dizziness)

Who should take care

  • Pregnant women should avoid 田七 notoginseng
  • Take care during your period
  • Not for people with blood deficiency and no stasis
  • Not while a cold has not cleared
  • People with gout should take care, since long double-boiled meat soups are high in purines (general warning across this whole collection)

Soup stories

田七, also called 三七, was the merchant's medicine, described in the old line as stopping bleeding without leaving stasis and moving blood without stirring it. Double-boiling it with chicken is the traditional format for middle-aged circulation care and for clearing stasis after childbirth. Hong Kong parents also give 田七 soups to teenagers who bruise easily through a growth spurt [folk use].

From the same family

天麻川芎白芷燉魚頭
calms the spiritAll yearAutumnWinter
街市Fish head (bighead carp)· 1 large fish head百子櫃Gastrodia tuber· 12 g百子櫃Sichuan lovage rhizome· 9 to 12 g百子櫃Dahurian angelica root· 12 to 15 g街市Fresh ginger· 3 slices

“Simmered the whole day — nothing held back.”

川芎白芷天麻魚頭湯
dispels coldrelaxes sinews and jointsWinterAll year
街市Fish head (bighead carp)· 1百子櫃Sichuan lovage rhizome· 12 g (3 mace)百子櫃Dahurian angelica root· 12 g (3 mace)百子櫃Gastrodia tuber· 20 g (5 mace)街市Lean pork· 300 g百子櫃Red jujube date· 4… +1

“Simmered the whole day — nothing held back.”

Goji leaf, pig liver and lean pork soupNot yet surveyed (we say so honestly)
枸杞葉豬膶瘦肉湯(枸杞菜湯)
soothes the liverbrightens the eyesnourishes bloodSpringSummerAll year
街市Goji leaves· 1 to 2 bunches街市Pig liver· about 150 to 200 g街市Lean pork· about 150 g百子櫃Goji berry / wolfberry· 1 tablespoon街市Fresh ginger· 2 slices百子櫃Rice wine (cooking wine)· a splash (少許)

“Heaty? Then this is the pot.”

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.