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Goji leaf, pig liver and lean pork soup

Goji leaf, pig liver and lean pork soup

枸杞葉豬膶瘦肉湯（枸杞菜湯）
soothes the liverbrightens the eyesnourishes bloodclears heatSpringSummerAll year quick-boiled · 23 minutes

“Heaty? Then this is the pot.”

Ingredientsone pot, serves 4

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
街市Lean porkabout 150 g
百子櫃Goji berry / wolfberry1 tablespoon
街市Fresh ginger2 slices
雜貨舖Rice wine (cooking wine)a splash (少許)

Method

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.

  1. Bring water to the boil, add the goji stems and boil over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes, then lift them out.
  2. Add the ginger and lean pork and boil for 10 minutes.
  3. Turn the heat right down, add the pig liver and poach it for 5 minutes, never letting it boil hard.
  4. 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.
  5. Add the goji leaves and turn off the heat straight away, letting the residual heat finish them (焗, covered steeping).
  6. 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.

From the same family

Double-boiled fish head with gastrodia, ligusticum and angelica dahuricaFish head soup with ligusticum, angelica dahurica and gastrodiaLettuce and dace fish-ball soup (sang choi yu yuk)

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.