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Green radish and carrot soup with dried tangerine peel and pork bones
青紅蘿蔔陳皮豬骨湯
“The pot Ah Ma keeps for her night owls.”
Ingredientsone pot, serves 4
街市Pork bones (femur / blade)· or pork shin; traditionally pork tongue is also used, making 青紅蘿蔔豬脷湯600 g (1 catty)
Method
- Peel the green radish and the carrot and roll-cut them into chunks. Soak the dried tangerine peel until soft and scrape off the white pith.
- Blanch the pork bones (汆水, a quick boil to clear the scum) and set them aside.
- Put everything in the pot with 3 litres of water and bring to the boil over high heat.
- Turn down to low heat and simmer for 2 to 2.5 hours, then season with salt.
Who it suits
- a heavy, over-full stomach
- lots of phlegm
- feeling hot and dry
Who should take care
- people low in qi should be careful (radish is said to break up qi)
- people currently taking tonic herbs should be careful (radish is said to break up qi)
- people with a weak, cold digestion should drink only a little
- people with gout or high uric acid should drink only a little long-simmered meat soup
Soup stories
青紅蘿蔔湯 is shorthand for the taste of home in Hong Kong. The folk logic that radish settles the stomach and moves things along makes it the clean-up pot after a festival feast, and it is the top standby of autumn and winter when radish is in season.
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.