All soups › Nourishing tonics
Fish maw and conch soup with Chinese yam, goji and chicken feet
花膠響螺頭淮山杞子雞腳湯
“The pot she makes when someone needs looking after.”
Ingredientsone pot, serves 4
Method
- Soak the 花膠 (fish maw) ahead of time to rehydrate it. Soak dried 響螺頭 (sea whelk) until soft, or thaw it if frozen
- Trim the nails off the chicken feet and blanch them with the lean pork (汆水, a quick boil to clean off blood and scum)
- Wash the 淮山 (dried Chinese yam), 杞子 (goji berries), 圓肉 (dried longan) and 紅棗 (red dates)
- Put everything in with the ginger slices and 3 litres of water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat
- Turn the heat low, simmer for 2.5 to 3 hours and season with salt
Who it suits
- after childbirth
- feeling run down
- skin that has lost its bounce
Who should take care
- avoid tonics while a cold has not fully cleared
- people with weak digestion should have only a small amount
- gout sufferers should avoid this
- not suitable after childbirth or during a period (螺頭); breastfeeding mothers must not eat 花膠 straight after giving birth (risk of blocked ducts)
Soup stories
The Hong Kong family beauty soup, and a soup for Lunar New Year and festival days. The grade of 花膠 you put in it is where a household’s face is at stake over the new year.
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.