Welcome to my blog everyone! I’ve always been resistant to writing a blog, favouring social media snippets over the finer details of meaningful writing. However in recent weeks, I’ve exited from Instagram, Facebook and heck!- even Whataspp! Being selective on how one expends one’s Qi is such an important aspect of navigating through life and since the Liver opens into the eyes, I felt it was time to come off that addictive tiny screen.
Because I was on a roll regarding nourishing myself, I decided to take it further and start experimenting with some changes. Those of you, who have attended my sessions, will know how much enthusiasm I hold for food therapy. It really does make a huge difference in the quality of Qi that I have to work with in a patient, which will in turn provide better results for that patient.
As such, I’ve decided to put my money where my mouth is and eat a diet similar to what I ate at home, growing up in a Chinese family. Congee/steamed dimsum/squash or pumpkin for breakfast; a warm lunch (like noodles or soup) and a hot balanced traditional dinner. I am curious to observe how my energy, digestion, sleep, skin etc will change if I adopt TCM principles in regard to nourishing the Earth Qi. I intend to follow this diet pretty strictly until the end of 2023. This means no dairy, sweets, fried food, cold food, bananas or peanut butter either. Basically no foods that will impair Earth’s ability to transform and transport food essences. <sigh!> I will update you at the end of the year.
So here is a congee recipe for you. I was weaned on congee like many of my Chinese brethren. White rice is warming and harmonising for the Spleen and Stomach. Often, root ginger is added to give the congee an energetically warmer quality to aid digestion in the early morning.
1 cup of white rice
4 cups of water/broth
Skinless meat like chicken or salmon
2 slices of root ginger (skin can be left on for extra Heat)
1 spring onion/scallion
Wash the rice thoroughly and place in a pot or rice cooker. Add the water/ broth, sliced ginger and cook gently until the rice porridge is smooth and silky. Then add the meat to the congee and cook for another 30 mins or until the meat is thoroughly cooked through and tender. I prefer to add meat on the bone for the extra nutrition that the marrow brings.
Serve in a bowl and add chopped spring onions on top. I love to add other toppings like dark soy sauce, century egg and fried breadsticks (although not too much, as it can produce Phlegm!). Some people like to add vegetables, mushrooms, fried onions, seaweed etc.