Chicken with winter bamboo shoots and pickled greens on rice
Crisp winter bamboo shoots and tangy pickled mustard greens stir-fried with lean chicken — a light, Shanghainese-style topping for rice that won't add heat.
- 25 min
- Serves 2
- Stir-fry
- Easy
Why it suits you: Damp-heat types often get a bitter, sticky mouth and spots after the roast meats and sweet soups of the solstice. Winter bamboo shoots are sweet and cold, clearing heat and phlegm; pickled greens perk up the appetite; and lean chicken breast keeps it light. Quickly stir-fried with little oil, it is a fresh lunch that won't stoke heat.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 10 min- 1Peel the bamboo shoots, cut into strips and boil for 5 minutes to remove any bitterness. Drain.
- 2Soak the pickled greens for 10 minutes to remove some salt, squeeze dry and chop.
- 3Cut the chicken into strips and marinate with the soy sauce, cornflour and a little oil for 10 minutes.
- 4Heat the oil in a wok, fry the ginger until fragrant, add the chicken and stir-fry over high heat until white. Set aside.
- 5Stir-fry the bamboo shoots and pickled greens in the same wok for 2 minutes, add the sugar, return the chicken and toss. Spoon over the rice.
Cautions
- Pickled greens are salty, so soak them first; always cook bamboo shoots through.
Chef's tips
- Rinse the boiled bamboo shoots in cold water for extra crunch, and squeeze the pickled greens dry so the dish isn't watery.
The TCM view
Winter bamboo shoots are sweet and slightly cold, clearing heat, resolving phlegm and freshening the stomach; pickled mustard greens are pungent and warm, opening the appetite and aiding digestion; chicken breast is sweet and warm but lean, supporting qi; rice is sweet and neutral, harmonising the stomach. Clearing without being too cold, it suits damp-heat types at the Winter Solstice.
