Steamed luffa and prawns with pearl barley rice
Thick rounds of luffa topped with prawns and garlic, steamed for a few minutes until sweet and juicy, served with spleen-strengthening pearl barley rice — fresh, light and never heavy.
- 55 min
- Serves 2
- Steam
- Easy
Why it suits you: Heat and damp steam together at Great Heat, and a Phlegm-Damp constitution easily feels heavy and muzzy-headed, phlegmy and tight in the chest. Luffa clears heat and transforms phlegm, pearl barley strengthens the spleen and drains damp, and prawns boost qi without greasiness. Steamed with little oil, it makes a lunch that is light yet still has protein.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 40 min- 1Rinse and soak the pearl barley for 2 hours, then cook it with the rice in a rice cooker with the usual amount of water.
- 2Devein the prawns, rub with salt and cornflour, rinse and pat dry. Peel the luffa, cut it into 3 cm rounds and arrange on a plate.
- 3Top each round with a prawn, garlic and ginger, and steam over boiling water on high heat for 6 minutes.
- 4Pour hot oil over the garlic, drizzle with soy sauce and serve with the barley rice.
Cautions
- Avoid if you are allergic to prawns or shellfish; go easy on pearl barley during pregnancy.
Chef's tips
- Keep peeled luffa in salted water so it doesn't darken, and don't over-steam it, so it stays bright green.
The TCM view
Luffa is sweet and cool, clearing heat, transforming phlegm and opening the channels. Pearl barley (Job's tears) is sweet, bland and slightly cold, strengthening the spleen and draining damp; prawns are sweet and warm, supporting the kidneys and boosting qi, balancing the coolness of luffa and barley, while garlic and ginger move qi and resolve damp. Together they clear phlegm and damp without harming the spleen.
