Clear and Bright · Lunch · Yang Deficiency
Walnut chicken with ginger gai lan on rice
Tender diced chicken with toasted walnuts and ginger-splashed gai lan — warming and kidney-friendly. Ready in 25 minutes, or pack it as a lunchbox.
- 25 min
- Serves 2
- Stir-fry
- Easy
WarmingWarms kidney yangWarms & builds qi
Why it suits you: Yang Deficiency means feeling the cold, with weak knees and lower back, and Qingming brings damp air and chilly air-conditioned offices. Walnuts warm the kidneys and chicken warms the middle, while ginger juice offsets the coolness of gai lan — warming without drying.
Method
Prep 12 min · Cook 13 min- 1Dice the chicken and marinate with the soy sauce, Shaoxing wine and cornflour for 10 minutes. Grate the ginger and squeeze out the juice.
- 2Toast the walnuts in a dry wok over low heat for 3–4 minutes until fragrant and crisp, then set aside.
- 3Cut the gai lan into lengths and blanch for 1 minute. Heat half the oil, splash in the ginger juice, toss the gai lan for 1 minute and plate.
- 4Add the remaining oil and stir-fry the chicken over high heat for 4–5 minutes until cooked through. Toss in the spring onions and walnuts, then spoon over rice.
Cautions
- Allergic to tree nuts? Leave out the walnuts and use toasted pumpkin seeds instead.
Chef's tips
- For a lunchbox, pack the gai lan separately so it stays green when reheated, and add the walnuts just before eating so they stay crisp.
The TCM view
Walnuts are sweet and warm, support the kidneys and lungs and keep you regular; chicken is sweet and warm and builds qi; gai lan is sweet, pungent and cool, but pungent, warm ginger juice takes off the chill. It warms kidney yang without drying — in keeping with Qingming's focus on the kidneys.
