Healing Cedar Wellness
  • Home
  • About us
    • Clara Cohen, R.Ac | DTCM
    • Dylana Elliot, RMT
    • Dr. Hyegwi Koh, R.Ac | DrTCM | RM
    • Jacqueline Harrison, RMT
    • Dr. Imane Squalli, ND
    • Jenna Knight, R.Ac
    • Lisa Lawrie, RMT
    • Rachel Mole, RMT
    • Robin King, R.Ac
    • Dr. Samantha Petrin, ND
    • Sara Utecht, RMT
    • Shannon Halpin, RMT | HCW Owner
    • Tiffany Kusnezov, RCC
    • Zack Young, RMT
  • Services
    • Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine >
      • FAQ
    • Cosmetic Services >
      • Cosmetic Acupuncture
      • Microneedling & Nanoneedling
    • Craniosacral Therapy
    • Gua Sha & Nervous System Acupuncture
    • Massage Therapy
    • Naturopathic Medicine
    • Resources >
      • Women's Health, Fertility & Pregnancy
      • Mental Health
      • Nutrition & Recipes
  • Fees
  • New Patients
  • Contact us

Blog

CONGEE – a tasty, nutritious meal, which can also be used in food therapy - Rebecca Stephens, R.Ac.

12/14/2012

0 Comments

 
Picture
In the west, we frequently view our food and our medicine as two separate entities.  Often we eat simply to fill a hunger void or particular craving, and do not view our food as having possible therapeutic benefit to our bodies.  In contrast, many other cultures see their food and their medicine as one in the same.  In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), congee is a versatile dish to which ingredients can be added for general health, or to address specific nutritional/medicinal needs. 

Congee is a simple fare, usually based on rice (though other grains can be used), cooked to the consistency of soup or porridge.  Historically it was used as both a popular nutritious meal, as well as a vessel for delivering easy-to-digest medicines to the sick or weakened.  Such use was first found in medical volumes discovered in tombs dating to the Han Dynasty (206 BCE-220 CE).  Later texts from the Tang (618-907 CE) and Song (960-1279 CE) Dynasties also described their extensive use by medical practitioners.

According to TCM, rice has a sweet flavour and neutral property.  It is easily accepted by the digestive system, and provides the body with a stable form of nutrient qi (vital energy), while activating and promoting the digestive process.  It is interesting that the Chinese symbol for qi (shown above), contains the symbol for rice, and depicts “having rice inside”.  

Rice is turned into congee by cooking it with large amounts of water, about 5 to 7 times the amount you would normally use, until it has a thick and even consistency.  Consuming it warm makes it immediately available for digestion and absorption, without relatively much work by the digestive system.  In addition, because it is cooked with so much water, it provides gentle hydration.  TCM considers that the less work the body needs to do to process a food, the more benefit one may gain from it.

The versatility of congee makes culinary possibilities quite numerous and open to the imagination.  It is important to note that congees with highly specific medicinal purposes are best left discussed with your healthcare practitioner, before being implemented into your diet.  

The following recipe is a simple SEAFOOD CONGEE that can be enjoyed by anyone, at any time of year, as a nutritious and energizing meal.  It contains such mild food therapy ingredients as garlic, shallot, and ginger (which may help expel a cold or flu, as well as clear phlegm), shiitake mushrooms (which benefit the immune system), and seaweed (which also helps to clear phlegm).  As such, it can be especially great in the cold and flu season!

It can be made vegetarian by omitting the seafood ingredients; or converted to a chicken or pork congee by substituting for the seafood, optionally omitting the seaweed, and using chicken stock instead. 

Picture
SEAFOOD CONGEE 

2 cups cooked jasmine rice
6 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
1 tbsp crushed garlic
1 shallot or green onion, sliced small
½” to 1” section of ginger (depending on taste), cut
lengthwise into very thin sticks
1 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms
1/2 sheet or less of reconstituted culinary seaweed 
(such as kombu), cut into very thin 1” strips
1 8oz can of either sliced bamboo shoots or sliced water 
chestnuts (your preference)
1 small head chopped broccoli
10 pcs baby bok choi, sliced in half lengthwise
1 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 handful chopped fresh cilantro
Fresh lime wedges
Ground white pepper, sea salt, cayenne pepper, and/or other spices to taste

Seafood – use 1-3 choices (adjust amounts accordingly) from options of:
a filet of any whitefish or salmon, cubed approx 1/2lb or so of shrimp/prawns
 1 or 2 small tubes of squid, sliced into thin rings
 Other shellfish (e.g. ½ can clams)

PREPARATION
In a soup stock pot, add the pre-cooked rice and stock together with the soy sauce and seaweed, bring to a boil and cook at medium heat for 40 minutes to an hour until the rice has the desired porridge-like consistency.  This procedure can vary quite a bit in time depending on the nature of the rice.

After the rice and stock have cooked for at least 20 minutes, in a separate wok or large frying pan, add the garlic, shallots, ginger, shiitake mushrooms, vegetables, and bamboo shoots or waterchestnuts.  Stir-fry this mixture for a few minutes until ingredients soften, then add to the cooking rice and stock.  

In the same wok, add a bit more oil and stir-fry the seafood ingredients lightly, being careful not to over-cook them.  Add this to the cooking congee within the last 5-10 minutes of cooking (helps prevent excessively over-cooking the more delicate seafood ingredients).  

Note - if using chicken or pork instead, stir-fry until well done and add to congee earlier. 

Serve in bowls garnished with fresh cilantro and green onion.  Some also enjoy squeezing a fresh lime wedge over the finished product.  Enjoy!

Rebecca Stephens

Registered Acupuncturist at Healing Cedar Wellness

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Healing Cedar Wellness'
    Blog

    Our fantastic team of practitioners contribute to our blog articles. Together we aim to restore balance within the body, educate each patient and guide them on their journey to optimum health. Our clinic offers natural health for the entire family, from babies to older adults and everyone in between.

    Archives

    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    February 2015
    October 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    May 2014
    March 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012

    Categories

    All
    Acupuncture
    Allergy
    Anxiety
    Arthritis
    Chinese Herbal Medicine
    Constipation
    Counselling
    Depression
    Diet
    Endometriosis
    Fatigue
    Fertility
    Gluten Free
    Healing Cedar Wellness
    Immune System
    IVF With Acupuncture
    Lifestyle
    Massage Therapy
    Menopause
    Natural Health
    Naturopathic Medicine
    Nutrition
    Parenting
    Port Moody
    Pregnancy
    Recipe
    Stress
    Weight Loss


    Disclaimer
    Healing Cedar Wellness.com Terms And Conditions Of Use

    All content provided on this blog is for informational purposes only. The owner of this blog makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site. The owners of this site will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information nor for the availability of this information. The owners will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the display or use of this information.This terms and conditions is subject to change at anytime with or without notice.
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • About us
    • Clara Cohen, R.Ac | DTCM
    • Dylana Elliot, RMT
    • Dr. Hyegwi Koh, R.Ac | DrTCM | RM
    • Jacqueline Harrison, RMT
    • Dr. Imane Squalli, ND
    • Jenna Knight, R.Ac
    • Lisa Lawrie, RMT
    • Rachel Mole, RMT
    • Robin King, R.Ac
    • Dr. Samantha Petrin, ND
    • Sara Utecht, RMT
    • Shannon Halpin, RMT | HCW Owner
    • Tiffany Kusnezov, RCC
    • Zack Young, RMT
  • Services
    • Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine >
      • FAQ
    • Cosmetic Services >
      • Cosmetic Acupuncture
      • Microneedling & Nanoneedling
    • Craniosacral Therapy
    • Gua Sha & Nervous System Acupuncture
    • Massage Therapy
    • Naturopathic Medicine
    • Resources >
      • Women's Health, Fertility & Pregnancy
      • Mental Health
      • Nutrition & Recipes
  • Fees
  • New Patients
  • Contact us