Stir-fried prawns with pea shoots and brown rice
Springy prawns and tender pea shoots stir-fried with garlic and no gravy, served with brown rice — clean, light and full of fibre for sticky, humid days.
- 1 hr
- Serves 2
- Stir-fry
- Easy
Why it suits you: Damp-heat types often have a bitter taste in the mouth, oily skin and sluggish bowels, and the steamy heat of the Summer Solstice is no time for fried, greasy food. Pea shoots clear heat and drain damp, and prawns nourish without heaviness. A simple garlic stir-fry with no gravy or chilli, plus fibre-rich brown rice, helps clear the damp-heat.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 45 min- 1Rinse the brown rice, soak for 1 hour and cook in a rice cooker to the brown-rice water line.
- 2Rub the prawns with a little salt and cornflour, rinse and pat dry, then marinate with another pinch of each for 10 minutes.
- 3Heat half the oil in a wok, fry the ginger until fragrant, add the prawns and stir-fry until pink, splash in the wine, then set aside.
- 4Add the rest of the oil and fry the garlic, then stir-fry the pea shoots over high heat for 1 minute until just wilted. Season with salt, return the prawns, toss and serve with the brown rice.
Cautions
- If you are sensitive to shellfish, use sliced chicken breast instead.
Chef's tips
- Stir-fry the pea shoots fast over high heat and plate them as soon as they wilt, or they'll weep water and turn yellow.
The TCM view
Pea shoots are sweet, neutral and slightly cool, clearing heat, draining damp, resolving toxicity and harmonising the middle. Prawns are sweet and warm, boosting qi and the kidneys. Brown rice is sweet and neutral, strengthening the spleen and easing the bowels, and garlic is warm, dispersing stagnation. Cool pea shoots clear damp-heat while a modest amount of prawn nourishes without feeding the damp.
