Huai Qi Abalone Chicken Soup

Why people make this soup

Abalone has long been prized in Chinese food culture not only for its delicate, tender flavour but also for its traditional role as a yin-nourishing food. In classical food-therapy thinking, yin deficiency of the liver and kidneys can show up as dry eyes, mild dizziness, a warm sensation in the palms, nighttime dry mouth, or an occasional ringing in the ears. This slow-simmered soup pairs abalone with a small handful of well-chosen herbs — huai shan to support the spleen and stabilise energy, goji berries to gently nourish liver and kidney, and red dates for warmth and flavour — all built on a clean chicken broth base.

Method

1. Thaw the abalone completely. Remove the intestinal tip, rinse thoroughly, and blanch in boiling water for 1–2 minutes. Set aside whole — do not slice yet.
2. Blanch the chicken breast in boiling water for 2–3 minutes. Rinse under cold water and set aside.
3. Rinse the dried yam, goji berries, and pitted red dates.
4. Place all ingredients into a pot. Add enough cold water to cover generously — roughly 2.1–2.4 L.
5. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer and cook for about 3 hours.
6. When the soup is done, lift out the whole abalone carefully, slice it, and return the slices to serve alongside the soup. Eat both the broth and the ingredients.

Nourilo’s Tips

Always cook the abalone whole while it simmers in the soup — if you slice it beforehand, the flesh becomes rubbery no matter how long you cook it. Only slice it after the pot is done. Canned abalone can be used in a pinch, but some nutritional value and flavour are inevitably lost during processing; fresh or frozen is preferred. If you cannot get chicken, a few pieces of lean pork with 2–3 dried scallops (yao zhu) will make the broth equally sweet and satisfying.