Eggs braised in ginger and sweet vinegar
Dry-fried mature ginger simmered in sweet vinegar until rich and mellow, with boiled eggs left to steep — tangy, sweet and gingery, a small bowl that warms you and gets blood moving.
- 1 hr 15 min
- Serves 4
- Braise
- Easy
Why it suits you: Summer means air-conditioning and cold drinks, and in a Blood-Stasis constitution, where blood already moves sluggishly, a chill brings cold hands and feet, period pain or dull stabbing aches. Ginger warms the channels and dispels cold, sweet vinegar moves blood and disperses stasis, and eggs nourish blood. A small bowl makes a warming afternoon snack that isn't too rich.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 60 min- 1Peel, smash and chunk the ginger. Dry-fry it in a wok without oil, with a pinch of salt, over low heat for 10 minutes until dry and fragrant.
- 2Put the eggs in cold water, bring to the boil and cook for 8 minutes. Cool in cold water, peel and make a few shallow cuts in the whites.
- 3Bring the vinegar and ginger to the boil in a clay pot, simmer for 40 minutes, then add the eggs and simmer for 10 minutes more.
- 4Leave to steep overnight for the best flavour. Reheat to serve, one egg with a few pieces of ginger per portion.
Cautions
- Eat sparingly if you have excess stomach acid or an ulcer, or tend to overheat; if pregnant, check with your practitioner first.
Chef's tips
- Use a clay or stainless steel pot; never simmer vinegar in an iron wok or an aluminium pan.
The TCM view
Mature ginger is pungent and warm, warming the middle, dispelling cold and opening the channels. Sweet vinegar is sour, sweet and warm, moving blood, dispersing stasis and stimulating the appetite. Eggs are sweet and neutral, nourishing yin and blood. Together they warm the channels and move blood while nourishing without congesting — suited to Blood Stasis in a chilly, air-conditioned summer.
