Hawthorn and red date millet congee with steamed sweet potato
Dried hawthorn, red dates and millet simmered into a golden, sweet-sour congee, served with steamed sweet potato — appetising, circulation-boosting and sustaining all morning.
- 45 min
- Serves 2
- Simmer
- Easy
Why it suits you: Blood-stasis types have sluggish circulation, with a dull complexion and period pain, and as Liqiu begins autumn's 'gathering in', keeping the blood moving matters more. Hawthorn moves blood, disperses stasis and aids digestion, red dates nourish blood and millet supports the spleen; sweet potato harmonises the blood and keeps you regular. Sweet-sour and filling, it energises without grease.
Method
Prep 10 min · Cook 35 min- 1Rinse the millet, hawthorn and red dates; scrub the sweet potatoes and cut into large chunks.
- 2Bring the water to the boil, add the millet, hawthorn and red dates, boil for 5 minutes, then simmer gently for 30 minutes, stirring now and then so it doesn't stick.
- 3Meanwhile, steam the sweet potato for 20 minutes until tender.
- 4When the congee is creamy, stir in the sugar until dissolved and serve warm with the sweet potato.
Cautions
- Hawthorn is sour, so use less with excess stomach acid, ulcers or a stomach that aches when empty; avoid large amounts in pregnancy.
Chef's tips
- Dried hawthorn slices are sold at herbal and herbal-tea shops; put everything in a thermal cooker overnight and the congee needs just 10 minutes in the morning.
The TCM view
Hawthorn is sour, sweet and slightly warm, aiding digestion and dispersing blood stasis — the Bencao Gangmu says it 'transforms food and dissolves meat accumulations'. Red dates are sweet and warm, supporting the middle and nourishing blood; millet is sweet, salty and cool, strengthening the spleen and clearing heat; sweet potato is sweet and neutral, harmonising the blood and easing the bowels. It moves blood without depleting.
