A bowl of porridge for medicine
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| Chinese congee by hirotomo |
Here in the West we generally think of ”porridge” as being made from oats and eaten at breakfast time. However, in Asia, porridge, or congee as it is usually called, is most often made from rice, cooked with plenty of liquid to give it a soup consistency, and eaten at any time of day for its numerous medicinal benefits, such as:
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strengthening spleen and stomach
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supporting kidneys and vital qi
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preventing constipation and diarrhea
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soothing a sore throat
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warming the body to prevent colds and flu
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losing or gaining weight
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tonifying blood
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clearing heat
Traditionally, herbal medical formulae were often prescribed to be added to a congee to maintain and balance yin and yang, and nourish qi and blood. Today, many recipes can be found for congees made from a combination of grain, vegetables and medicinal herbs. They are best cooked slowly and can be prepared easily overnight in a crockpot. If you want to make your porridge more therapeutic, add some of the following ingredients to rice and water (1:5 or 1:6 ratio). If you are suffering from diarrhea or weakness, take a plain rice or medicinal congee first thing in the morning as a thin soup.
Brown rice – good for nursing mothers, diuretic
Carrot– good for digestion, eliminates flatulence
Chinese wolfberries/Goji berries – eat in congee in the morning on an empty stomach for strengthening kidneys and qi
Cooked chestnuts – good in the fall months of the year for tonifying kidneys, strengthening knees; use three chestnuts for two servings
Ginger– used for deficient cold digestive weakness, eg some forms of diarrhea, vomiting, indigestion, anorexia
Leeks– warming, good for chronic diarrhea
Milk– removes toxic heat
Mung bean – cooling for summer heat
Sesame seeds – use ground black sesame seeds for liver and kidneys
Spinach– and other dark greens may be added in small pieces to rice for nourishing the blood
Walnuts– add 6 walnuts per serving for kidneys
Yoghurt and honey – beneficial to heart and lungs
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