Double-boil (隔水燉, the covered pot sits in a pan of simmering water): put the ingredients in the pot, pour in boiling water to about eighty per cent full, cover and double-boil for 3 to 4 hours.
Clean and dress the teal, chop it into large pieces and blanch it (汆水, a quick boil) to draw off the blood.
Rinse the cordyceps gently; soak the aged tangerine peel until soft and scrape off the pith.
Put everything in the double-boiling pot and pour in boiling water to about eighty per cent full.
Cover and double-boil (隔水燉, the covered pot sits in a pan of simmering water) for 3 to 4 hours.
Season with a little salt and it is ready.
Who it suits
long standing cough and weak breathing
poor appetite
feeling weak after illness
Who should take care
Do not take tonics while a cold has not fully cleared
People with gout or high uric acid should drink only a little
Soup stories
Double-boiled soup is the refined version of the boiled pot, cooked slowly over water so the broth stays clear while the flavour runs deep. Cordyceps with teal is a well known winter tonic and convalescent soup, and the home version usually swaps cultivated cordyceps flower for the real thing.
“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.