Start of Summer · Lunch · Yang Deficiency
Young ginger & pineapple beef on rice
Warming young ginger, sweet-sour pineapple and tender beef over hot rice — stir-fried at home while the rice cooks.
- 45 min
- Serves 2
- Stir-fry
- Easy
WarmingWarms & dispels coldBuilds qi & blood
Why it suits you: Yang Deficiency means feeling the cold, and at Start of Summer the office air-conditioning bites even when it is hot outside. Warming young ginger and beef with appetising pineapple make a hot lunch instead of iced drinks and salads — nurturing yang in spring and summer.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 30 min- 1Start the rice in the rice cooker. Slice the beef thinly across the grain, mix with the soy sauce, cornflour, a little oil and the white pepper, and marinate for 15 minutes.
- 2Cut the pineapple into small chunks, the young ginger into thin slices, the pepper into pieces and the spring onions into lengths.
- 3Heat the wok until very hot, add the oil, spread out the beef and sear on high for 30 seconds, then turn and stir until about 70% cooked. Lift out.
- 4In the same wok fry the ginger for 1 minute, add the pepper and pineapple and stir-fry for 2 minutes until the pineapple edges catch slightly.
- 5Return the beef, add the spring onion and toss on high for 30 seconds. Spoon straight over the hot rice and eat at once.
Cautions
- Halve the ginger if you have a sore throat, dry mouth or fever.
Chef's tips
- Soak the cut pineapple in lightly salted water for 10 minutes so it does not sting your tongue.
- For a lunchbox, lift the beef out at about 60% cooked so it stays tender when reheated.
The TCM view
Young ginger is pungent and warm and dispels cold; beef is sweet and warm and builds qi and blood; pineapple is sweet, slightly sour and neutral and aids digestion, keeping the dish from being too drying. Pungent with sweet warms yang without overheating — just right for Yang Deficiency in summer.
