Rain Water · Dinner · Balanced
Steamed pork & Chinese yam patty with garlic spinach
A juicy home-style steamed pork patty with fresh Chinese yam, plus garlicky spinach — balanced and gentle on digestion.
- 30 min
- Serves 3
- Steam
- Easy
NeutralStrengthens digestionNourishes blood, eases dryness
Why it suits you: Balanced types can simply follow the season. Rain Water is damp: yam strengthens digestion, spinach nourishes blood, and steaming with little oil adds no extra dampness — meat and greens in one balanced meal.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 15 min- 1Soak the shiitake until soft and dice. Wearing gloves, peel the yam; finely dice half and grate the other half.
- 2Mix the pork with the soy sauce, cornflour and 2 tbsp water, stirring in one direction until sticky, then fold in the yam and mushrooms.
- 3Press into a patty about 2 cm thick on a plate. Steam over boiling water on high heat for 12–15 minutes, until the juices run clear.
- 4Meanwhile, wash the spinach and cut into lengths, blanch for 30 seconds and drain well.
- 5Heat the oil, fry the garlic until fragrant, add the spinach and toss over high heat for 1 minute. Season with salt and serve hot with rice.
Chef's tips
- Grated yam mixed into the mince makes the patty extra tender; wear gloves if the sap makes your hands itch.
- Blanching the spinach first removes some oxalic acid and astringency, and keeps it bright green.
The TCM view
Chinese yam is sweet and neutral and supports the spleen and stomach; pork is sweet, salty and neutral and moistens; shiitake is sweet and neutral and builds qi. Spinach is sweet and cool and nourishes blood — stir-frying it with garlic offsets its coolness and wakes up the appetite. Balanced overall, strengthening without heaviness.
