老火湯LO FO TONG

All soups › Damp-dispelling

Winter melon, Job's tears and lotus leaf soup with pork ribs

冬瓜薏米荷葉排骨湯
clears heatdispels dampnesspromotes water metabolismSummer slow-boiled · 2 hours Not yet surveyed (we say so honestly)

“The pot for damp weather.”

Ingredients

街市Winter melon· skin on, seeds removed; boiling it with the skin on is traditionally held to clear heat and move water better900 g (1.5 catties)
百子櫃Job's tears / coix seed· 40 g (1 tael) each of raw and roasted Job's tears75 g
百子櫃Lotus leaf· for summerhalf a sheet
百子櫃White hyacinth bean40 g (1 tael)
街市Pork spare ribs600 g
百子櫃Candied honey date2
百子櫃Aged dried tangerine peel1 piece

Method

  1. Soak and rinse the Job's tears and hyacinth beans; deseed the winter melon and cut it into large pieces with the skin left on; rinse the lotus leaf.
  2. Blanch the pork ribs (飛水, a quick boil) to draw out the blood and scum.
  3. Bring 2.5 litres of water to the boil over high heat, then add all the ingredients.
  4. Once it returns to the boil, turn the heat to low and simmer for 1.5 to 2 hours.
  5. Season with salt; the winter melon flesh can be lifted out and eaten with the meal.

Who it suits

  • summer heat
  • fluid retention and puffiness

Who should take care

  • Pregnant women should avoid Job's tears (it is slippery and draining)
  • Those with a cold constitution or a cold stomach should drink only a little
  • People with gout or high uric acid should drink only a little, long-boiled meat soups are high in purines (general warning across this collection)

Soup stories

Boiling the winter melon with its skin on is traditionally held to clear heat and move water better. As always, the melon flesh is lifted out afterwards and served as a dish in its own right.

From the same family

Five-finger fig root (hairy fig) and carrot soup with pork ribsA$16–18
五指毛桃紅蘿蔔排骨湯
strengthens the spleenreplenishes qidispels dampnessSpringAll year
百子櫃Hairy fig root· 75 g街市Carrot· 2百子櫃Job's tears / coix seed· 40 g (1 tael)街市Pork spare ribs· 600 g百子櫃Candied honey date· 2百子櫃Aged dried tangerine peel· 1 piece

“The pot for damp weather.”

Black-eyed pea and tangerine peel soup with common carpNot yet surveyed (we say so honestly)
眉豆陳皮鯉魚湯
strengthens the spleenpromotes water metabolismAll year
百子櫃Common carp· 1, about 300 g or more百子櫃Black-eyed pea· 100 g百子櫃Aged dried tangerine peel· 10 g街市Fresh ginger· 3 slices

“The pot for damp weather.”

Hairy gourd, black-eyed pea and peanut soup with chicken feetNot yet surveyed (we say so honestly)
節瓜眉豆花生雞腳湯
strengthens the spleendispels dampnesspromotes water metabolismSummerAll year
街市Hairy gourd / fuzzy melon· 2百子櫃Black-eyed pea· 75 g百子櫃Peanut· 75 g街市Chicken feet· 8街市Pork bones (femur / blade)· 300 g百子櫃Candied honey date· 2… +1

“The pot for damp weather.”

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.