All soups › Heat-clearing
Laver (nori) egg-drop soup, often with tofu
“Heaty? Then this is the pot.”
Ingredientsone pot, serves 4
Method
One of the fastest fast-boil soups. Add the 紫菜 and the diced 豆腐 once the soup boils, then turn the heat off and pour the beaten egg in slowly to make the ribbons. Water temperature and the speed of your pour decide whether the 蛋花 comes out pretty or not. Toast the 紫菜 in a dry wok first, or soak and rinse the grit out.
- Soak and rinse the grit out of the dried 紫菜 (laver seaweed), or toast it lightly in a dry wok. Dice the 豆腐 (tofu). Beat the eggs.
- Bring the stock or water to the boil and add the 紫菜, along with the diced 豆腐 for 5 minutes over medium heat.
- Turn off the heat or take the pot off it, then pour the beaten egg in a thin, slow stream to make the 蛋花 (egg flower, the ribbons of set egg). Do not stir before it sets.
- Finish with sesame oil, white pepper and chopped spring onion.
Who it suits
- low calorie eating
- nights when you need a soup at short notice
- everyday family soup
Who should take care
- people with thyroid conditions should note the iodine in 紫菜 (HK01: one group of people should not have it)
Soup stories
The lowest-effort floor of Cantonese soup, the soup for the night when there is no soup. Ten minutes and it is on the table, and every Hong Kong child has had it. Versions with 皮蛋 or minced pork add protein.
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.