Major Snow · Dinner · Blood Stasis
Dong quai, ginger and lamb soup with chive scrambled eggs
The classic dong quai, ginger and lamb soup to warm you and get blood moving, with a fragrant plate of chive scrambled eggs.
- 2 hr 20 min
- Serves 3
- Simmer
- Easy
WarmingWarms channels, moves bloodDispels cold
Why it suits you: Blood Stasis gets worse in the cold, when circulation slows. Dong quai nourishes and moves blood, ginger and lamb warm the channels and chives move qi and blood — a bowl on a Major Snow night warms the hands and feet and keeps blood flowing.
Method
Prep 20 min · Cook 120 min- 1Cut the lamb into chunks, start it in cold water with 2 slices of ginger and the Shaoxing wine, boil for 5 minutes, then drain and rinse.
- 2Rinse the dong quai and put it into 2 litres of boiling water with the lamb, ginger and red dates. Boil hard for 10 minutes.
- 3Simmer gently for 1 hour 45 minutes until the lamb is tender. Salt just before serving.
- 4Before serving, cut the chives into lengths and beat the eggs with a pinch of salt. Stir-fry the chives in the hot oil for 30 seconds, pour in the eggs and stir until just set.
Cautions
- Avoid dong quai if pregnant, during heavy periods, or if you take blood thinners such as warfarin.
- Pause the lamb and dong quai during a cold, fever, sore throat or mouth ulcers.
Chef's tips
- Dong quai is strong, so 10 g is plenty. In the morning, put the soup ingredients in a slow cooker on low for 6 hours and it is ready after work.
The TCM view
Dong quai is sweet, pungent and warm and nourishes and moves blood; ginger is pungent and warm and dispels cold; lamb is sweet and warm and builds qi and blood. Together they make a classic formula from the Jingui Yaolue that warms and unblocks without being harsh. Pungent, warm chives disperse stasis, balanced by neutral egg.
