Awakening of Insects · Lunch · Sensitive (Allergic)
Rice-cooker pumpkin & minced pork rice with pea shoots
Sweet pumpkin and gently seasoned minced pork cooked with rice, topped with pea shoots — a simple, low-allergen lunchbox.
- 45 min
- Serves 2
- Boil
- Easy
NeutralStrengthens digestion & qiGentle on the stomach
Why it suits you: Sensitive (allergic) types react easily, and Awakening of Insects is pollen season. Pumpkin and pork are mild and easy to digest, supporting the spleen and qi, with sweet pea shoots — low-allergen everyday foods, simply seasoned.
Method
Prep 10 min · Cook 35 min- 1Mix the pork with the soy sauce, ginger, cornflour and a splash of water and leave for 10 minutes.
- 2Rinse the rice into the rice cooker with the usual amount of water, top with the pumpkin and pork, and cook as normal.
- 3Leave to rest for 10 minutes, then stir through. Blanch the pea shoots for 1 minute and lay them on top or pack them separately.
- 4For a lunchbox, cook it the night before and microwave for 2–3 minutes.
Chef's tips
- Scrub the pumpkin skin and leave it on for extra sweetness and fibre.
The TCM view
Pumpkin is sweet and warm and builds qi; pork is sweet, salty and neutral and moistens; pea shoots are sweet and neutral and gently clear heat. Sweet flavours support the spleen — mild and not drying, helping steady digestion and defensive qi.
