Chinese Master Stock, Lo Shui (广式卤水)

soy sauce

🥗Healthier: low-sodium soy sauce

💰Cheaper: tamari

Low-sodium soy sauce reduces sodium intake.

pork

🥗Healthier: chicken

💰Cheaper: beef

Chicken is leaner and often less expensive.

hard-boiled eggs

🥗Healthier: soft-boiled eggs

💰Cheaper: quail eggs

Quail eggs add a gourmet touch at a lower cost.

sugar

🥗Healthier: honey

💰Cheaper: brown sugar

Honey adds flavor complexity while being a natural sweetener.

Start by preparing the Chinese master stock, known as lushui.

In a pot over medium heat, fry a one inch knob of ginger and 30 grams of scallions until fragrant, about one minute.

Add 350 grams of stock, 350 grams of soy sauce, and 230 grams of Shaoxing wine to the pot.

Add 300 grams of slab sugar to the pot. If slab sugar is unavailable, use rock sugar or brown sugar instead.

Bring the mixture to a simmer to let the slab sugar melt into the lushui.

Prepare the spice mix: use 6 star anise, 2 cinnamon sticks, 10 grams of licorice root, and 3 grams of whole cloves. Optionally add 3 grams of sand ginger, 3 grams of dried tangerine peel, 1 black cardamom pod, and 0.5 Luo Han Guo.

Wrap the spices in a tofu or cheesecloth or use a spice bag, then add to the pot.

Cover the pot and let the mixture simmer on low for at least 30 minutes.

While the lushui is simmering, prepare the proteins: cut 200 grams of Dougan (tofu) into about 2 inch squares, and prepare 6 chicken wings, 2 duck wings, and 1 pork tongue.

Blanch the duck or goose wings, tofu, and pork tongue in rapidly boiling water for 5 minutes, then add the chicken wings and let cook for another minute.

Remove the proteins and transfer them to a bowl of cool water, rinsing them under running water for about a minute to remove any leftover gunk.

After 30 minutes of simmering, add all the blanched ingredients to the lushui, squeezing the tofu into the cracks.

Simmer the mixture for about 40 minutes at the lowest heat your stove will go.

After 40 minutes, remove the ingredients and transfer them to a serving plate.

Bring the lushui back to a boil, then strain it into a container to freeze for future use.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Allergens