Steamed beef rice rolls with spring onion
Silky dim sum-style rice rolls made at home with tender minced beef — less oil and salt than the teahouse version and gentle on a tired stomach.
- 30 min
- Serves 2
- Steam
- Medium
Why it suits you: As Start of Summer turns the weather hot, a Qi-deficient constitution easily sweats, feels short of breath and loses its appetite. Beef replenishes qi and blood, and soft rice rolls are easy to digest; homemade ones use far less oil and salt than the restaurant kind.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 15 min- 1Whisk the rice flour, cornflour, wheat starch and water into a smooth batter, stir in 1 tsp oil and rest for 10 minutes (or make it the night before and keep it in the fridge).
- 2Mix the beef with the tangerine peel, 1 tsp soy sauce, the potato starch and 2 tbsp water, stirring in one direction until sticky.
- 3Brush a flat metal tray with oil and heat it in a steamer over boiling water. Pour in a thin layer of batter, scatter over a little beef and spring onion, cover and steam on high for 3 minutes until bubbly and translucent.
- 4Roll up from one edge with a scraper and transfer to a plate; repeat with the rest. Mix the remaining soy sauce and sugar with 1 tbsp hot water and drizzle over.
Cautions
- When digestion is sluggish, keep beef to about 40 g a time; the sweet soy contains sugar, so if you're watching your blood sugar use a little plain soy sauce instead.
Chef's tips
- No steaming tray? A thin metal baking tin works — pour only a very thin layer of batter each time for silky rolls.
The TCM view
Beef is sweet and neutral; it strengthens the spleen and stomach, boosts qi and blood and fortifies sinew and bone. Rice is sweet and neutral, strengthening the spleen and nourishing the stomach. Dried tangerine peel is pungent, bitter and warm, moving qi so the beef nourishes without clogging, and spring onion gently unblocks yang and stirs the appetite. Balanced overall — a morning lift for Qi deficiency.
