Fried rice vermicelli with long beans and minced pork
Diced long beans and minced pork tossed with rice vermicelli in very little oil — tasty, filling and never greasy.
- 25 min
- Serves 2
- Stir-fry
- Easy
Why it suits you: Phlegm-damp types feel heavy and sluggish with a thick, greasy tongue coating, and Grain Rain is the dampest time of year. Long beans strengthen the spleen and transform damp, tangerine peel dries damp and carrot aids digestion, while a quick low-oil stir-fry fills you up without weighing you down.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 10 min- 1Soak the vermicelli in warm water for 10 minutes until soft, drain and snip into shorter lengths.
- 2Heat half the oil in a non-stick pan and fry the garlic, tangerine peel and pork over medium heat, then add the long beans and carrot and stir-fry for 3 minutes until the beans are cooked through.
- 3Add the rest of the oil, the vermicelli, both soy sauces and the water, and toss quickly with chopsticks for 2 minutes until evenly coloured.
- 4Taste, adjust and serve hot.
Cautions
- Long beans must be cooked right through; undercooked beans can upset the stomach.
Chef's tips
- Toss the vermicelli with chopsticks rather than pressing with a spatula so it doesn't break or stick.
The TCM view
Long beans are sweet and neutral, strengthening the spleen and stomach and transforming damp. Tangerine peel is pungent, bitter and warm, moving qi, drying damp and resolving phlegm. Carrot is sweet and neutral, strengthening the spleen and aiding digestion. Pork is sweet, salty and neutral and nourishing. Neutral to slightly warm overall, helping the spleen move fluids.
