Foxnut, poria and millet congee
Millet, foxnuts and poria go into the rice cooker overnight for a creamy morning congee that strengthens digestion and clears damp.
- 1 hr 40 min
- Serves 2
- Simmer
- Easy
Why it suits you: The sensitive (allergic) constitution often comes with weak spleen and lung qi, and damp Grain Rain triggers runny noses and itchy skin. Foxnut strengthens the spleen and clears damp, poria drains damp, millet settles the stomach, and none of it is a common allergen.
Method
Prep 10 min · Cook 90 min- 1Rinse the foxnuts and poria and soak them for 1 hour (or overnight).
- 2The night before, put the millet, rice, foxnuts, poria, red dates and water in the rice cooker on the porridge programme, timed to finish in the morning.
- 3Stir well in the morning, add a little brown sugar if you like it sweet and eat warm.
Cautions
- Foxnut is astringent, so don't overdo it if you tend to be constipated.
Chef's tips
- Soak the foxnuts long enough or they stay hard after cooking.
The TCM view
Foxnut is sweet, astringent and neutral, strengthening the spleen, stopping diarrhoea, firming the kidneys and clearing damp. Poria is sweet, bland and neutral, draining damp and calming the mind. Millet is sweet, salty and slightly cool, settling the middle and supporting the kidneys. Red dates are sweet and warm, nourishing blood. Strengthening and protecting at once.
