Tangerine peel, winter melon & pork rice with Job's tears
Fragrant tangerine peel, sweet winter melon, lean pork and Job's tears cooked in one pot — make it the night before for a lunchbox.
- 1 hr
- Serves 2
- Simmer
- Easy
Why it suits you: Phlegm-Dampness brings heaviness and sleepiness, and the hot, humid start of summer makes it worse. Winter melon and Job's tears drain damp, tangerine peel moves qi and clears phlegm, and lean pork keeps this one-pot meal low in fat and sugar. Stop at 70% full.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 45 min- 1Soak the Job's tears for 3 hours (soak them in the morning and keep in the fridge). Soak the shiitake and peel until soft; dice the mushrooms, scrape the pith off the peel and shred it.
- 2Dice the pork and marinate with the soy sauce, cornflour and ginger for 10 minutes. Peel and deseed the winter melon and cut into 1.5 cm cubes.
- 3Rinse the rice and Job's tears, put them in the rice cooker and add 180 ml water — less than usual, because the melon releases water.
- 4Spread the melon, mushrooms, pork and peel on top and press 'cook'. When it clicks off, leave it covered for 10 minutes, then stir through.
- 5Pack into lunchboxes and refrigerate. Next day, microwave on high for 2–3 minutes until piping hot.
Cautions
- Avoid Job's tears in pregnancy; use white hyacinth beans instead.
Chef's tips
- Keep the winter melon in 1.5 cm cubes; smaller pieces melt away.
- Cool the cooked rice quickly and refrigerate, then reheat until piping hot — safer for lunchbox rice.
The TCM view
Winter melon is sweet, bland and slightly cold and drains water; Job's tears are sweet, bland and cool and strengthen the spleen against damp; aged tangerine peel is pungent, bitter and warm, dries damp, clears phlegm and offsets the cooler ingredients. Shiitake is sweet and neutral and builds qi; lean pork is neutral. Balanced overall: it clears damp without weakening digestion.
