Ingredients go in only once the water boils. Watercress in a quick-boiled soup gets 10 minutes at most (the dietitian's rule). The fish slices go in last for 1 to 2 minutes and come off the heat the moment they are just cooked.
Bring the water to the boil, add the ginger slices and let them boil out into a base.
Add the watercress and cook it for no more than 10 minutes.
Add the fish slices last and boil 1 to 2 minutes, just until they turn white.
Season with salt and it is ready.
鰂魚 version: pan-fry the fish first, splash in Shaoxing wine, add boiling water, cover and boil for 5 minutes, then add the watercress for 3 minutes.
Who it suits
feeling heaty with a dry cough
an everyday soup for autumn and winter when watercress is in season
modern framing points to eye health and anti-inflammatory value (lutein)
Who should take care
people with a cold constitution and pregnant women are traditionally advised to keep to a moderate amount and to add ginger
Soup stories
This is the quick-boiled counterpart to the long-simmered 西洋菜陳腎湯, where the greens cook down to shreds. Skypost once ran a chef making 西洋菜滾鰂魚湯 for HK$23 as one soup plus two dishes, the model for a thrifty quick-boil dinner.
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.