Ingredients
500 g (about 1 lb) pork, 50 g each of pork tripe, cuttlefish, and pork skin, 100 g each of pork bones and chicken/duck feet and wings.
Seasonings
Dang shen (Codonopsis root), 10 g honey-fried astragalus root, 10 g stir-fried white atractylodes, 10 g scallion, 3 g cinnamon, 15 g cooked rehmannia root, 6 g stir-fried Szechuan lovage root, 6 g Chinese angelica root, 6 g wine-soaked white peony root, 6 g poria mushroom, 6 g honey-fried licorice root, 30 g ginger, 2 g Sichuan peppercorns, 1 g MSG.
Instructions
1. Place the 10 medicinal ingredients including Codonopsis root in a gauze bag and tie it closed; soak the cuttlefish until fully rehydrated, then remove all bones and membranes; wash the pork, pork belly, cuttlefish, assorted bones, chicken and duck feet and wings, and pork skin separately, crack the leg bones with a mallet, and lightly crush the ginger by patting.
2. Place all the prepared medicinal ingredients and food items into a pot, add enough water, bring to a boil over high heat, skim off any foam, then reduce to low heat and simmer for about 2 hours. Remove the pork, cuttlefish, and chicken and duck feet and wings, let them cool, then slice, shred, or chunk them as needed. Arrange the mixed meats in a serving bowl, ladle the medicinal broth over the top, and add a little MSG to taste. This soup has tender, silky meat and a rich, thick broth that is savory and aromatic with a pronounced herbal fragrance. It also serves as a supportive remedy for kidney yang deficiency and depletion of vital essence and blood.