Stir-fried water bamboo and shredded chicken with brown rice
Water bamboo is in season — crisp and sweet. Shredded and quickly stir-fried with chicken and carrot, it's light, clean and lovely with brown rice.
- 28 min
- Serves 2
- Stir-fry
- Easy
Why it suits you: Damp-heat types tend to have oily skin, a bitter taste in the mouth and dark urine, and Minor Heat's muggy weather steams damp and heat together, inviting spots and bad breath. Water bamboo, in season now, is sweet and cold, clearing heat, easing restlessness and promoting urination. Lean chicken nourishes without heaviness, carrot supports the spleen and brown rice helps drain damp-heat.
Method
Prep 20 min · Cook 8 min- 1Husk the water bamboo, trim off any tough parts and cut into fine strips along with the carrot.
- 2Shred the chicken, mix with the soy sauce and cornflour and leave for 10 minutes; stir in a little oil before cooking.
- 3Heat the oil in a wok, fry the garlic and ginger until fragrant, add the chicken and stir-fry over a medium heat until it turns white. Remove.
- 4Add the water bamboo and carrot to the wok with 2 tbsp water and stir-fry for 2 minutes until just tender. Return the chicken, add the spring onion, season with salt and serve with brown rice.
Cautions
- Water bamboo is cold: go easy if your digestion is weak or you have loose stools. It is also high in oxalate, so limit it if you've had kidney stones.
Chef's tips
- Choose plump, pure-white shoots — black specks inside mean they're past their best. Keep them in their husks in the fridge and use within two or three days.
The TCM view
Water bamboo is sweet and cold, clearing heat, easing restlessness and thirst and promoting both bowel movements and urination — a fine summer food. Chicken breast is sweet and neutral to warm, boosting qi and balancing the coolness of the water bamboo. Carrot is sweet and neutral, strengthening the spleen, and brown rice strengthens the spleen and drains damp. It clears and drains without harming healthy qi.
