Frost's Descent · Breakfast · Qi Deficiency
Chestnut, beancurd skin & chicken congee
Sweet, floury chestnuts and silky beancurd skin in a chicken congee you set on a timer the night before.
- 1 hr 15 min
- Serves 2
- Simmer
- Easy
WarmingStrengthens digestion & qiSupports the kidneys
Why it suits you: Qi Deficiency means tiring easily and a weak appetite. Chestnuts strengthen the spleen and kidneys, chicken builds qi, and beancurd skin makes the congee silky and easy to digest — a warm bowl that tonifies without drying as Frost's Descent mornings turn cool.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 60 min- 1The night before, rinse the rice, soak the beancurd sticks until soft and break them up, and halve the chestnuts. Put them in the rice cooker with the water and set the porridge timer.
- 2Marinate the chicken with the soy sauce, cornflour and a pinch of salt and keep it in the fridge overnight.
- 3In the morning, switch the cooker to cook (or bring the congee to the boil in a pot), stir in the chicken and ginger, and cook for 4–5 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
- 4Season with salt, scatter over the spring onion and eat hot.
Cautions
- Chestnuts can cause wind and bloating, so keep portions modest if your digestion is weak.
Chef's tips
- Ready-shelled chestnuts from the wet market or supermarket save all the peeling.
The TCM view
Chestnut is sweet and warm, strengthening the spleen, stomach and kidneys; chicken is sweet and warm and builds qi; beancurd skin is sweet and neutral and moistens; rice settles the stomach. Sweet, warm foods do the tonifying and a little ginger warms the stomach — gentle, not cloying.
