Steamed chicken with pumpkin and longan
Pumpkin soaks up the chicken juices from underneath, while longan, red dates and ginger add gentle sweet warmth — warming without overheating.
- 35 min
- Serves 3
- Steam
- Easy
Why it suits you: Yang Deficiency means cold hands and feet even in summer, and air-conditioning easily brings on tummy aches and loose stools. Minor Heat is the time to ‘treat winter ills in summer’: warming pumpkin, longan, chicken and ginger, simply steamed, warm you without overheating.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 20 min- 1Wash the pumpkin, leave the skin on, cut into 1 cm slices and lay them flat in a deep plate.
- 2Mix the chicken with the ginger, soy sauce, wine, cornflour and sesame oil and marinate for 10 minutes. Give the longan a quick rinse.
- 3Spread the chicken over the pumpkin and scatter the longan and red dates on top.
- 4Steam over boiling water on high heat for 18–20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and a chopstick slides into the pumpkin.
- 5Serve hot with rice, spooning the juices from the plate over it.
Cautions
- If you have a sore throat, a bitter taste or constipation, halve the longan and red dates.
Chef's tips
- Marinate the chicken the night before and keep it in the fridge; after work it just needs 20 minutes in the steamer.
The TCM view
Pumpkin is sweet and warm and builds qi; chicken is sweet and warm and warms the middle; longan is sweet and warm and nourishes the heart, spleen and blood; ginger is pungent and warm and dispels cold; red dates support digestion. Steaming rather than frying keeps the warmth gentle, so it won't overheat you in summer.
