Steamed pumpkin with rose and brown sugar syrup
Thick slices of pumpkin steamed until soft and sweet, then drizzled with a rose-scented brown sugar syrup — a fragrant, warming dessert that helps keep blood flowing.
- 30 min
- Serves 3
- Steam
- Easy
Why it suits you: In a Blood-Stasis constitution blood moves sluggishly, often showing as a dull complexion and painful periods with clots. Before the weather cools at End of Heat, rosebuds soothe the liver and move blood, brown sugar warms the channels and dispels cold, and sweet, warm pumpkin supports the middle — a cosy dessert that is good for the complexion and the circulation.
Method
Prep 10 min · Cook 20 min- 1Peel, deseed and thickly slice the pumpkin and arrange it on a plate. Stone and shred the red dates and scatter them over.
- 2Steam over boiling water on high heat for 15 minutes, until a chopstick slides in easily.
- 3Meanwhile, dissolve the brown sugar in the water over low heat, add the rosebuds, simmer for 1 minute, then cover off the heat for 3 minutes.
- 4Pour the rose syrup over the steamed pumpkin and serve warm.
Cautions
- Rosebuds move blood: avoid them during pregnancy and on heavy period days.
Chef's tips
- Buy food-grade dried rosebuds from a herbalist or tea shop, never roses from a florist.
The TCM view
Pumpkin is sweet and warm, supporting the middle and boosting qi. Rosebud is sweet, slightly bitter and warm, soothing the liver, relieving stagnation, moving blood and easing pain; brown sugar is sweet and warm, warming the channels and dispersing stasis, and red dates nourish blood. Together they warm and open the vessels and move qi and blood — suited to Blood Stasis at the turn of the season.
