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PANguin

Autumn · from 23 Aug

End of Heat

處暑

Clear residual heat, nourish Yin.

Next: White Dew on 7 Sept — 15 days

Tailor to a constitution

Sizzling claypot chicken with ginger, shallots and spring onion
End of Heat · Dinner · Yang Deficiency

Sizzling claypot chicken with ginger, shallots and spring onion

Marinated chicken sizzled in a hot clay pot with heaps of ginger, shallots and garlic until it crackles — smoky, fragrant, warming and made for rice.

  • 35 min
  • Serves 2
  • Claypot
  • Medium
WarmingWarms middle, dispels coldBoosts qi, supports yang

Why it suits you: Yang-deficient people feel the cold, with chilly hands and feet, and as Chushu's mornings and evenings cool — on top of long hours in air conditioning — their yang is easily depleted. Chicken warms the middle and boosts qi, while plenty of ginger, shallots and garlic dispel cold and free the yang. Splashed with wine and served sizzling, it warms you right through.

Method

Prep 20 min · Cook 15 min
  1. 1Pat the chicken dry and mix with both soy sauces, the oyster sauce, sugar, cornflour and 1 tbsp of the wine. Leave for 20 minutes. Cut the spring onions into lengths.
  2. 2Heat the clay pot, add the oil and fry the ginger, shallots and garlic over a low heat for 3 minutes until slightly charred and fragrant.
  3. 3Turn the heat up to medium-high, spread the chicken in the pot, cover and cook for 3 minutes. Stir, cover again and cook for 5 minutes until cooked through and the sauce has reduced.
  4. 4Add the spring onions, splash the remaining wine around the rim and cover at once. When it sizzles and smells of wine, turn off the heat and take the pot to the table.

Cautions

  • This pot is warming and drying, so skip it if you have a sore throat, spots or a dry mouth; never pour cold water into a hot clay pot, or it may crack.

Chef's tips

  • The clay pot must be really hot and the aromatics slightly charred before the chicken goes in; splash the wine around the rim and cover straight away for that signature sizzle.

The TCM view

Chicken is sweet and warm, entering the spleen and stomach, warming the middle, boosting qi and replenishing essence. Ginger is pungent and warm, dispelling cold and settling the stomach; shallots and spring onion whites free the yang; garlic warms the spleen and stomach and moves qi; Shaoxing wine is pungent, sweet and very hot, opening the vessels and dispersing cold.

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Seasonal principle

Residual summer heat remains. Balance clearing heat with moistening dryness. Duck is a neutral, nourishing protein for this time. Ensure you get plenty of sleep to combat "autumn fatigue" as the body adjusts to the changing seasons. Keep a light jacket handy for cooler evenings.

In season now

In season around End of Heat: Lotus Root, Duck, Lily Bulb, Yam, Spinach

Tap an ingredient for its nature, uses and nutrition.

Yang Deficiency

Feels the cold, with cold hands and feet

Enjoy: Fresh ginger · Lamb · Chinese chives · Walnuts and chestnuts · Longan

Go easy: Iced drinks · Cooling foods like watermelon and bitter melon · Too much green tea or herbal "cooling" tea

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Based on traditional Chinese medicine for general wellness education — not a medical diagnosis or treatment. If symptoms persist, are severe or unusual, please see a doctor or registered Chinese medicine practitioner.