soothes the liverbrightens the eyesnourishes bloodclears heatSpringSummerAll yearquick-boiled · 23 minutesNot yet surveyed (we say so honestly)
“Heaty? Then this is the pot.”
Ingredients
街市Goji leaves· also called 枸杞菜; separate the leaves from the stems, boil the stems first for flavour and lift them out, and add the leaves at the very end off the heat1 to 2 bunches
街市Pig liver· soak in water for half an hour until the water runs clear, slice 5 mm thick, then marinateabout 150 to 200 g
Boil the goji stems first for 5 to 10 minutes to draw out their flavour, then lift them out, since you want the flavour and not the fibre. Drop the heat right down and poach the pig liver for 5 minutes without letting it boil hard, which is what keeps the liver silky. Add the goji leaves and turn the heat off immediately, letting the residual heat cook them through.
Bring water to the boil, add the goji stems and boil over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes, then lift them out.
Add the ginger and lean pork and boil for 10 minutes.
Turn the heat right down, add the pig liver and poach it for 5 minutes, never letting it boil hard.
Splash in the rice wine (灒酒, wine sizzled down the side of the hot pot), raise the heat to medium-high and add the goji berries.
Add the goji leaves and turn off the heat straight away, letting the residual heat finish them (焗, covered steeping).
Season with salt and sesame oil and it is ready.
Who it suits
late nights and feeling heaty
tired eyes and screen work
mouth ulcers
people who cannot take strong tonics, since this is traditionally the standard eye-brightening soup
Who should take care
Pig liver is high in cholesterol and vitamin A, so people with high cholesterol and pregnant women should limit it
Pig liver must be soaked and rinsed until the water runs clear of blood
Soup stories
This is the soup Hong Kong parents press on children stuck at their books, the one said to be good for the eyes. A Sky Post (晴報) chef feature taught the knife work and the thrifty trick of getting three dishes out of one pot, and Cantonese families drink it most in spring and summer when goji leaves are in season. Variations add a salted egg, or beaten egg for a goji-shoot egg-drop version.
街市Mud carp· about 300 g of 鯪魚滑 dace paste街市Chinese lettuce· 1 head百子櫃Superior stock· 1 to 1.5 litres
“Just off the stove — drink it while it is hot.”
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.