Smilax root, adzuki bean and lean pork congee
A cleansing congee of smilax root and adzuki beans, slow-cooked overnight in the rice cooker and finished with tender pork shreds in the morning.
- 1 hr 40 min
- Serves 2
- Simmer
- Easy
Why it suits you: Damp-heat types still get damp and congested in winter, and hotpot and fried food make spots and a bitter taste in the mouth more likely. Smilax root clears heat and damp and adzuki beans drain water; cooked with lean pork, the congee cleanses without being too cold. Set it the night before and just add the pork in the morning.
Method
Prep 10 min · Cook 90 min- 1The night before, soak the beans for 1 hour. Put the smilax root and tangerine peel in a soup bag and add to the rice cooker with the rice, beans and water. Set the congee timer.
- 2Marinate the pork with the soy sauce and cornflour and refrigerate overnight.
- 3In the morning, remove the soup bag. Switch to cook (or pour the congee into a pan), bring to the boil, add the pork and ginger and stir. Simmer for 3–4 minutes until cooked through.
- 4Season with salt and eat hot.
Cautions
- Smilax root and adzuki beans are diuretic — pregnant women and people who pass urine frequently shouldn't have this too often.
Chef's tips
- Chek siu dau are slimmer and darker than the plump red beans used for sweet soup — buy them from a herbalist or dry-goods shop.
The TCM view
Smilax root is sweet, bland and neutral, detoxifying and draining damp; adzuki beans are sweet, sour and neutral, draining water and reducing swelling; lean pork is sweet, salty and neutral, nourishing yin so the congee isn't too austere; aged tangerine peel moves qi and strengthens the spleen. Sweet, bland and balanced, it clears damp-heat without harming the stomach.
