Lotus leaf rice with shiitake and diced pork
Rice fried with shiitake and diced pork, wrapped in a dried lotus leaf and steamed — fragrant, never greasy, and good for shifting damp.
- 55 min
- Serves 3
- Steam
- Medium
Why it suits you: Phlegm-damp people feel heavy and tired with a poor appetite, and the humidity of Grain in Ear makes it worse. Lotus leaf lifts clear yang, dispels damp and relieves summer heat, shiitake strengthens the spleen, and lean pork nourishes without greasiness. The leaf's fragrance soaks into the rice, so it needs little oil.
Method
Prep 20 min · Cook 35 min- 1Soften the lotus leaves in hot water, rinse and pat dry. Marinate the pork with the light soy sauce and cornflour for 10 minutes.
- 2Stir-fry the shiitake and pork in hot oil until fragrant, add the carrot and peas for 2 minutes, then the rice, dark soy sauce and spring onion, and toss well.
- 3Lay out the lotus leaves, wrap the rice into a square parcel and set it seam-side down on a plate. Steam over high heat for 20 minutes and open at the table.
Cautions
- Lotus leaf is cooling and descending; those who are thin and depleted shouldn't eat it often in large amounts.
Chef's tips
- Dried lotus leaves are sold at wet-market dried-goods shops; day-old rice stays separate and won't turn mushy when steamed.
The TCM view
Lotus leaf is bitter, astringent and neutral, clearing summer heat, transforming damp and raising clear yang. Shiitake is sweet and neutral, boosting qi and strengthening the spleen. Lean pork nourishes yin; carrot and peas strengthen the spleen and aid digestion. The lotus leaf raises the clear and transforms the turbid, while the spleen tonics stop damp building up again.
