Food does affect how people feel, but while many dishes have gotten me feeling upbeat, not many bring me to tears.
This year’s winter weather has been wet and dreary, so when Chef Lucky Li told me that he had pig stomach soup as a winter special at his Lucky Life Restaurant, I jumped at it.
Little did I expect it to taste so much like how my late Mum used to make it that, without exaggerating, tears started flowing down my eyes after the first slurp.
I have previously featured Lucky Life Restaurant here before for their Guangdong hometown-inspired dishes, but this dish is next-level comforting for me.
Posting on the Chow Liuck Club Facebook group, I said this pig stomach soup dish won’t send social media fans crazy, but it is “ugly delicious” and a dish that brings pure comfort.
With each sip of the soup, you get to taste the white pepper that envelopes you with its warmth, and for me, it takes me right back to Mum’s kitchen.
Pig stomach isn’t the easiest to clean and cook, and Chef Lucky has done is so well getting it to the level of tenderness and without any of the “porky” smells.
Pig stomach and peppercorn soup is believed to be nourishing, and is made with pig stomach (the star ingredient), peppercorns, ginger and garlic.
It is known for its warming and restorative properties, and particularly good during the colder weather.
The pig stomach is simmered for several hours to be tenderized and to give the broth a unique flavour.
Many ethnic Chinese consider pig stomach to be nutritious and rich in protein and this soup is also a traditional dish that is prepared for new mothers and others needing nourishment.
Lucky Life already has many great dishes on its menu, among them the Five Cup Briased Duck, Honey Pepper Chicken and Salted Egg Yolk Salted Crab.
The Pig Stomach Peppercorn Soup gives another reason to frequent this North Shore eatery.
* This is an independent review, and the meal was paid for by the writer.
Lucky Life Restaurant
8 Huron Street, Takapuna, Auckland
