The art of the Cantonese soup

Black chicken herbal soup

1 black chicken

50 g huaishan, dried Chinese yam

50 g wolfberries

50 g American ginseng, sliced

1 piece ginger, bashed

Wash the black chicken inside and out. Cut off the tail and trim the fat, especially inside the cavity and around the neck. Drain and keep whole. Stuff the huaishan and wolfberries inside the chicken. Heat up boiling water in a clay pot and add the chicken and ginger.

Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer for an hour. Add the American ginseng slices. Season to taste. Break up the chicken to serve. Garnish with a few dried wolfberries.

The black chicken is actually the silky chicken, a beautiful bird with pure white feathers, red comb and wattle and a bright blue ear patch.

Its skin, and even its bones, are black, a genetic pigmentation. Chinese cooks like using it for soups because it is a lean-muscled bird with little subcutaneous fat.

Chicken will invigorate a body exhausted by heat and humidity. Finally, dried wolfberries can be eaten like raisins. After cooking, they turn mushy, so add a few extra at the end to refresh the taste.