Steamed sea bass on kelp with adzuki bean rice
Sea bass steamed on kelp, with adzuki bean brown rice — light, low-fat and damp-clearing. The rice cooks on the rice cooker timer.
- 1 hr 5 min
- Serves 2
- Steam
- Easy
Why it suits you: Phlegm-Dampness means a heavy body and drowsiness, and Qingming's damp 'returning south' weather piles damp on damp. Kelp resolves phlegm and drains water, adzuki beans clear damp and sea bass supports digestion while staying low in fat; steaming keeps it light.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 50 min- 1Rinse the adzuki beans and brown rice and soak for 4 hours or overnight. Add 300 ml water and cook on the rice cooker's brown rice setting.
- 2Rinse the kelp, cut into fine strips and spread on a heatproof plate (soak 15 g dried kelp for 20 minutes first). Soften the tangerine peel in water and shred it.
- 3Pat the fish dry, rub with a pinch of salt and lay it on the kelp. Top with the ginger and tangerine peel.
- 4Steam over boiling water on high heat for 7–8 minutes, until the flesh turns white and a chopstick slides in easily. Drizzle with the soy sauce.
- 5Blanch the choy sum for 1 minute and serve with the adzuki bean rice and the fish on its kelp.
Cautions
- Kelp is very high in iodine — if you have a thyroid condition, check with your doctor and keep portions small.
Chef's tips
- Eating at home: set the rice cooker in the morning and steam the fish for 8 minutes at lunch. For a lunchbox, steam it the night before and reheat for 2 minutes.
The TCM view
Kelp is salty and cold, resolves phlegm, softens hardness and drains water; adzuki beans are sweet, sour and neutral and clear damp; sea bass is sweet and neutral, builds qi and supports the liver and kidneys; pungent, warm ginger and tangerine peel warm the middle and dry damp, offsetting the cold kelp. It clears damp without weakening digestion.
