Lily bulb, water chestnut and fish slice congee
Silky congee with fresh lily bulb, crunchy water chestnut and tender grass carp slices — set the rice cooker the night before and finish it in minutes.
- 1 hr 15 min
- Serves 2
- Simmer
- Easy
Why it suits you: Yin-deficient types are prone to a dry mouth and throat and restless sleep once winter begins. Lily bulb nourishes yin, moistens the lungs and calms the mind, water chestnut adds sweet, fluid-generating crunch, and fish slices warm the stomach and are easy to digest. The congee cooks overnight, so it takes minutes to finish.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 60 min- 1The night before, rinse the rice and put it in the rice cooker with the water on the congee timer. Marinate the fish with the soy sauce, cornflour and ginger and refrigerate.
- 2In the morning, switch the cooker to cook (or pour the congee into a pan), bring to the boil and add the water chestnuts. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- 3Add the lily petals and fish, stir gently and simmer for 2–3 minutes until the fish turns white and is cooked through.
- 4Season with salt, scatter over the spring onion and eat hot.
Cautions
- Grass carp has fine bones — slice from the thick part of the fillet and eat carefully.
Chef's tips
- Vacuum-packed fresh lily bulbs are sold in supermarkets; peel off any brown edges so the congee doesn't turn bitter.
The TCM view
Lily bulb is sweet and slightly cold, nourishing yin, moistening the lungs and calming the heart; water chestnut is sweet and cold, clearing heat and generating fluids; grass carp is sweet and warm, settling the stomach and offsetting the coolness of the lily and water chestnut; rice is sweet and neutral. Moistening without being cold, it suits yin-deficient types at Start of Winter.
