Hakka Black Gold Soup

This chicken soup is gently seasoned, allowing the natural flavors to come through with clarity and balance. The key is aged preserved radish, a traditional Hakka ingredient known as “black gold,” valued for its deep savory aroma and natural sweetness.

Simmered with chicken, daikon, and shiitake mushrooms, then finished with clams, the soup develops layers of flavor. The fresh sweetness of daikon and the mellow depth of aged radish slowly come together into a balanced, comforting broth.

Light, clean, and not greasy, this is a simple soup that you will want to keep coming back to.

Watch step by step recipe video below:

Ingredients

½  chicken, cut into pieces
35 g aged preserved radish
400 g daikon radish
15 g dried shiitake mushrooms
15 g ginger, sliced
300 g clams*
2 tbsp rice wine, for blanching and seasoning
6 g goji berries
1700 ml water  

Note: Aged radish is naturally salty. Adjust salt to taste if needed.

Preparation

1. Blanch the chicken, then rinse and set aside
2. Rinse the aged radish to remove excess salt, then cut into small pieces
3. Soak the dried shiitake mushrooms until softened
4. Cut the daikon into chunks
5. Slice the ginger
6. Bring water to a boil, then add ginger, chicken, shiitake mushrooms, aged radish, and daikon
7. Simmer on low heat for 40 to 45 minutes until the daikon is tender
8. Add the clams* and cook until they open * Frozen clams are used here and require no prep. If using fresh clams, rinse and soak to remove sand before cooking.
9. Before serving, add rice wine and goji berries. Adjust salt to taste if needed