Mugwort omelette with black bean rice
An omelette of in-season mugwort — fragrant, gently bitter — with black bean brown rice. Make it the night before as a lunchbox.
- 1 hr 5 min
- Serves 2
- Pan-fry
- Easy
Why it suits you: With Blood Stasis, circulation is sluggish and cold makes aches worse, and Qingming swings between warm and cool. Mugwort warms the channels, black beans move blood and support the kidneys, and black vinegar and ginger keep blood flowing — warming without drying.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 50 min- 1Dry-toast the black beans in a wok until the skins crack, soak with the brown rice for 4 hours, then cook with 300 ml water in the rice cooker.
- 2Pick the tender mugwort leaves, wash and blanch for 1 minute to tame the bitterness. Squeeze dry and chop.
- 3Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt and stir in the mugwort and ginger.
- 4Heat the oil in a non-stick pan, pour in the eggs and cook over medium-low heat for 2–3 minutes until golden underneath. Flip, cook 2 minutes more and cut into wedges.
- 5Blanch the choy sum for 1 minute and dress with black vinegar. Pack with the rice and omelette; reheat for 2 minutes.
Cautions
- If you are pregnant, have heavy periods or a bleeding disorder, check with a TCM practitioner before eating mugwort.
Chef's tips
- Mugwort is only in season around Qingming — pick the tender tips. Blanch and squeeze any extra, then freeze it for later.
The TCM view
Mugwort is pungent, bitter and warm, warms the channels, dispels cold and eases pain; black beans are sweet and neutral, move blood, drain water and support the kidneys; egg is sweet and neutral and nourishes blood; vinegar is sour and warm and disperses stasis, and ginger is pungent and warm. Gently warming and blood-moving, it also nourishes the liver and kidneys for Qingming.
