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Double-boiled fresh milk with fish maw
“The pot she makes when someone needs looking after.”
Ingredientsone pot, serves 4
Method
Double-boiled (隔水燉, the covered jar stands in a pot of water rather than sitting on the heat): put the 花膠, milk and 冰糖 in the jar, put the lid on and seal it with cling film (traditionally 紗紙, mulberry paper). Stand it in a pot of boiling water, with the water a third to halfway up the jar, and double-boil for 3 to 4 hours. A quick version of 45 minutes to 1 hour is also common. Top up with boiling water as you go. This makes a family-size jar, so halve it for a two-person jar.
- Soak the 白花膠 (white fish maw) ahead of time for 2 days and nights, changing the water often, then steep it soft in boiling water, wash it and cut it into pieces.
- Put the 花膠 in the double-boil jar, pour in 1 litre of milk and add the 冰糖 (rock sugar). 紅棗, 蓮子 or 桃膠 are optional.
- Seal the jar and double-boil for 3 to 4 hours.
- Serve it hot in the jar it was cooked in.
Who it suits
- women looking after their complexion
- prenatal care in pregnancy
- trouble sleeping and a restless mind
Who should take care
- people who are lactose intolerant should avoid this
- avoid while a cold has not fully cleared
- people with heavy phlegm damp should eat only a little
Soup stories
A double-boil shop signature. 湯譜 Soupday in Central built its name on this beauty-minded 花膠 double-boiled with milk. It is a marriage between the Cantonese double-boiled milk dessert craft and the 花膠 tonic tradition, leaning towards dessert but sold on the soup board.
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.