Homemade Cantonese Soup—Ching Po Leung

Cantonese cuisine is famous for its slow-cooked soup (called lo foh tong in Cantonese dialect). The Cantonese soup is a clear, non-oily and non-greasy broth, simmering with Chinese herbs and meat. It is a must-have dish at a traditional Cantonese family dinner, because people in Canton believe that the slow-cooked soup is good for their health.

I haven’t found any real authentic Cantonese soup at any restaurant in Boston so far, so let’s homemade one of the most famous traditional slow-cooked soups--Ching Po Leung, with only 10 simple and easy steps!

Ching Po Leung (a mix of Chinese herbs)

Ingredients: two pound of pork chop, one bag of Ching Po Leung (which is a mix of Chinese herbs that you can find at any Chinese supermarket), salt

Cooker: a pot that can hold at least half a gallon water (around 8-10 bowls of water)

Step 1: cut pork chop into chunks

Step 2: boil one gallon of water in the pot

Step 3: put the cut pork into the boiling water for 5 mins

Step 4: take pork chop out of boiling water, and wash them with cold water (it helps to wash off the fat of pork chop, so the broth is clear and non-oily)

cut, boiled, washed pork chop chunks

Step 5: wash the Ching Po Leung with cold water.

7 kinds of Chinese herbs in Ching Po Leung: on the left, from top--Jade Bamboo, Dried Foa Nuts, Lily Pulp & Barley
on the right, from top--Lotus Seed, Longan Meat & Chinese Yam

Step 6: put the washed Ching Po Leung and pork chop and half a gallon water into the pot

washed Ching Po Leung in the pot

washed pork chop and Ching Po Leung in the pot

Step 7: boil the water, and then turn down the cooking heat to slow till the water is boiling

Step 8: slow cook the soup for an hour and a half

this is how it looks after an hour and a half!

Step 9: add salt according your personal preference, and then the soup is ready to serve!

yummy soup served in a bowl

Enjoy your homemade delicious and healthy Ching Po Leung soup :)