Steamed chicken with lily flowers and wood ear, with rice
Chicken thigh steamed with dried daylily buds, wood ear fungus and red dates — light, juicy and fragrant, with plenty of sauce for the rice.
- 35 min
- Serves 2
- Steam
- Easy
Why it suits you: With New Year busyness, qi-stagnant types can feel irritable and tight-chested at Major Cold. Daylily, known as the 'forget-your-worries herb', eases stagnation and calms the mind; wood ear and red dates nourish blood and chicken warms the middle — steamed, it is light, and the juices are wonderful over rice.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 20 min- 1Cook the rice. Soak the daylily buds and wood ear separately until soft; trim the hard ends of the buds and tie each in a knot, and tear the wood ear into pieces. Stone and slice the red dates.
- 2Marinate the chicken with the soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, cornflour and ginger for 15 minutes, then mix in the daylily, wood ear and dates.
- 3Spread out on a plate and steam over high heat for 15 minutes once the water boils, until the chicken is cooked.
- 4Drizzle with sesame oil, scatter with chopped spring onion and serve with the rice and juices.
Cautions
- Use only dried daylily buds, soaked and fully cooked — fresh ones contain colchicine and must not be eaten raw.
Chef's tips
- Knotted daylily buds hold together and stay pleasantly crunchy; spread the chicken in one layer so it cooks evenly.
The TCM view
Daylily buds are sweet and cool, clearing heat, relieving stagnation and calming the mind; wood ear is sweet and neutral, nourishing blood; chicken is sweet and warm, warming the middle and supporting qi; red dates nourish blood; ginger is warm and balances the daylily's coolness. Together they ease stagnation and support qi and blood.
