Cold Dew · Breakfast · Yang Deficiency
Pumpkin, longan & walnut oat porridge
Creamy oats with mashed pumpkin, sweet dried longan and toasted walnuts, with a hint of cinnamon — no added sugar, warming to the core.
- 18 min
- Serves 2
- Boil
- Easy
WarmingWarms spleen & kidneysDispels cold
Why it suits you: Yang Deficiency means feeling the cold, with cold hands and feet, and Cold Dew mornings turn noticeably cooler. Pumpkin, longan and walnuts are all warming; cooked into hot oats, they warm the stomach and the whole body before you head out.
Method
Prep 8 min · Cook 10 min- 1Peel and finely dice the pumpkin, add 1 tbsp water, cover and microwave on high for 4–5 minutes until soft, then mash with a fork.
- 2Toast the walnuts in a dry pan over low heat for 2–3 minutes until fragrant, then chop. Give the longan a quick rinse.
- 3Put the water, oats and longan in a pan, bring to the boil over medium heat, then simmer for 3–4 minutes, stirring now and then.
- 4Stir in the pumpkin and cook for 1 more minute. Top with the walnuts and a pinch of cinnamon and eat hot.
Cautions
- Walnuts are a tree nut; if you are sensitive to nuts, use pumpkin seeds instead.
Chef's tips
- Steam and mash the pumpkin the night before and keep it in the fridge; breakfast then takes 5 minutes.
The TCM view
Pumpkin is sweet and warm and builds qi; longan is sweet and warm and nourishes the heart, spleen, qi and blood; walnuts are sweet and warm, warm kidney yang and also ease dryness and constipation; a pinch of cinnamon warms the kidneys and dispels cold. Neutral oats settle the stomach, so the bowl warms without drying.
