All soups › Nourishing tonics
Lotus root, dried octopus and mung bean soup with pork bones
蓮藕章魚綠豆豬骨湯
“The pot she makes when someone needs looking after.”
Ingredientsone pot, serves 4
Method
- Peel the lotus root and cut it into thick slices. Soak the dried octopus until soft and rinse it clean. Rinse and soak the mung beans.
- 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 2 litres of water and bring to the boil over high heat.
- Turn down to low heat and simmer for 2.5 hours, then season with salt.
Who it suits
- people who feel run down, traditionally described as weak in qi and blood
- people with a weak digestion in winter who also run heaty
- said to suit pregnant women better with lotus seeds and pork shin added
Who should take care
- not for people with gout
- people with a cold stomach can swap the mung beans for adzuki beans
Soup stories
Cooked lotus root shifts from cooling to neutral and is traditionally said to nourish qi and blood, a classic example of how cooking changes the character of an ingredient. The dried octopus is the savoury backbone Hong Kong mothers prize most in this pot.
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.