All soups › Nourishing tonics
Double-boiled pork shin with two ginsengs and sweet apricot kernels
“The pot she makes when someone needs looking after.”
Ingredientsone pot, serves 4
Method
隔水燉 (double boiling, where the jar sits in water rather than over direct heat), single-serve size: put the ingredients in a small 燉盅, pour in 300 ml of boiling water to just cover, seal with cling film (traditionally 紗紙, mulberry paper) and put the lid on, fill the outer pot to a third or half way up the jar, and cook for 3 hours (some versions go 5 hours). Salt goes in last.
- Cut the pork shin into pieces and blanch it (汆水, a quick boil to clear the scum).
- Give the two kinds of ginseng slices, the 南杏, 海玉竹 and dried tangerine peel a quick rinse.
- Put everything into a single-serve 燉盅 (double-boiling jar) and pour in 300 ml of boiling water.
- Seal with cling film, put the lid on, and double boil (隔水燉, the jar sits in water rather than over direct heat) for 3 hours.
- Add a little salt before drinking.
Who it suits
- a weak, cold constitution
- low energy
- shortness of breath and dizziness
- recovering from a long-running cough
Who should take care
- people with a hot, dry constitution or high blood pressure should be careful with ginseng
- no double-boiled tonics while a cold is still unresolved (general warning across this collection)
- people with gout should be careful, long double-boiled meat soups are high in purines
Soup stories
A single-serve jar in the double-boil shop style, born out of Hong Kong's 一人燉湯 culture. Pairing the two ginsengs lets the milder 移山蔘 balance the warm dryness of 高麗參, so it is traditionally seen as a winter warmer that does not tip over into too much heat.
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.