Skip to content
PANguin

Recipe Studio

A wellness recipe made for you

Choose ingredients, cuisine, TCM goal, diet and health needs, time and kitchen — PANguin designs a recipe for the season and your constitution, with a nutrition estimate and a shopping list.

Recipe settings

Solar term and constitution

Not sure? 4-minute test

Quick start

Tap again to undo

Ingredients

0/12

In season for Frost's Descent · staples

Optional — PANguin will pick what's in season and easy to buy.

Meal

Cuisine

TCM goal

PANguin will choose the best goal for the Frost's Descent season.

0/120

No sign-in needed to set things up. When you tap Create, sign in free with Google — your choices stay as they are.

Frost's Descent · Dinner · 30 min · Serves 2

Sample recipes

What a PANguin recipe looks like

Every recipe comes with its TCM purpose, a nutrition estimate, a shopping list and safety notes.

Ginger & spring onion steamed fish with mixed-grain rice and choy sum
Sample

Ginger & spring onion steamed fish with mixed-grain rice and choy sum

Silky steamed fish with chewy mixed grains and crisp greens — filling and kind to blood sugar.

  • 40 min
  • Serves 2
  • Cantonese home-style
  • Steam
  • Easy
NeutralStrengthens digestion & qiSettles the stomachLow GIHigh proteinLess oil & salt

Why it suits you: Fibre-rich mixed grains, lean protein and plenty of greens help blood sugar rise more slowly, and the neutral ingredients suit most constitutions without feeling heavy at dinner.

Ingredients

To buy (2)

  • Fish fillet (sole or sea bream)300 g
  • Choy sum300 g

You have & pantry (5)

  • Mixed grains (brown rice, red rice, quinoa)90 g uncooked
  • Fresh gingerthumb-sized piece, shredded
  • Spring onions2, shredded
  • Reduced-salt soy sauce1 tbsp
  • Cooking oil2 tsp

Method

Prep 10 min · Cook 30 min
  1. 1Rinse the mixed grains and cook them in the rice cooker with 1.5 times the water; soak for 30 minutes first if you have time.
  2. 2Pat the fish dry, lay it on a heatproof plate and top with half the ginger.
  3. 3Steam over boiling water on high heat for 6–8 minutes, until the flesh turns opaque and flakes easily.
  4. 4Meanwhile, blanch the choy sum in boiling water with a few drops of oil for 1–2 minutes, then drain.
  5. 5Pour off the steaming liquid, top the fish with the spring onion and remaining ginger, then drizzle with a little hot oil and the soy sauce.
  6. 6Serve each person a modest bowl of rice with the fish and greens — eat the vegetables and fish first, then the rice.

Nutrition per serving (estimate)

Glycaemic load：Low
Energy
370 kcal
Carbs
36 g
Protein
33 g
Fat
9 g
Fibre
4.5 g
Sugar
2 g
Sodium
380 mg

AI estimate for guidance only — actual values depend on portions and ingredients.

Adjusted for your needs

  • Mixed grains instead of white rice — about 36 g carbohydrate per serving.
  • Eating the vegetables and fish before the rice helps slow the rise in blood sugar.

Cautions

  • If you have diabetes, agree the rice portion with your doctor or dietitian.
  • Not suitable if you are allergic to fish.

Chef's tips

  • Pat the fish dry before steaming for a silkier texture.
  • Cook a big batch of grains and freeze it in portions; rice that has been cooled and reheated may have more resistant starch, which is gentler on blood sugar.

The TCM view

Fish is neutral and sweet: it strengthens digestion and qi without feeling heavy. Ginger and spring onion are pungent and warm, lifting the flavour and balancing the cooler choy sum. Steaming and blanching are gentle methods that keep the dish light and not drying.

Suits: Watching blood sugar, Qi Deficiency, Balanced

Turmeric red lentil dal with spinach
Sample

Turmeric red lentil dal with spinach

A gently spiced, creamy Indian lentil dal — warming, vegan and filling.

  • 35 min
  • Serves 2
  • Indian
  • Simmer
  • Easy
WarmingWarms the middleClears dampnessVeganGluten-freeHigh fibre

Why it suits you: Red lentils bring plant protein and fibre, and the ginger and spices warm you from the inside — ideal if you run cold or want something warming in autumn and winter.

Ingredients

To buy (5)

  • Red lentils100 g
  • Tomato1, diced
  • Spinach150 g
  • Ground turmeric½ tsp
  • Cumin seeds1 tsp

You have & pantry (6)

  • Onion1, diced
  • Fresh gingerthumb-sized piece, grated
  • Garlic2 cloves, crushed
  • Cooking oil1 tbsp
  • Salt¼ tsp
  • Water600 ml

Method

Prep 10 min · Cook 25 min
  1. 1Rinse the lentils until the water runs clear, then drain.
  2. 2Heat the oil over medium heat, fry the cumin seeds for 30 seconds until fragrant, then add the onion and cook for 4–5 minutes until soft.
  3. 3Stir in the ginger, garlic and turmeric for 1 minute, then add the tomato and cook for 2 minutes.
  4. 4Add the lentils and water, bring to the boil, then simmer for 15 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft and creamy.
  5. 5Stir in the spinach and salt for the last minute, and finish with a squeeze of lemon if you like.

Nutrition per serving (estimate)

Glycaemic load：Low
Energy
290 kcal
Carbs
40 g
Protein
16 g
Fat
8 g
Fibre
8 g
Sugar
5 g
Sodium
300 mg

AI estimate for guidance only — actual values depend on portions and ingredients.

Adjusted for your needs

  • Vegan: plant oil instead of ghee or cream.

Cautions

  • If you tend to run hot or dry (yin deficiency, dry mouth, breakouts), halve the spices.
  • On blood thinners such as warfarin? Keep turmeric and ginger to normal cooking amounts.
  • If you limit potassium for a kidney condition, check lentil and spinach portions with your renal team.

Chef's tips

  • No hob? Cook everything except the spinach in a rice cooker on the soup setting for 30 minutes, then stir in the spinach.
  • Keeps for 3 days in the fridge; add a splash of water when reheating.
  • For a heartier meal, serve with half a bowl of brown rice or a wholemeal chapati.

The TCM view

Lentils are neutral and sweet and help the spleen clear dampness. Ginger, cumin and turmeric are pungent and warm: they warm the middle, disperse cold and keep qi and blood moving. Tomato and spinach add a little cool moisture to balance the spices.

Suits: Yang Deficiency, Qi Deficiency, Vegetarians and vegans

Microwave apple, cinnamon & walnut oats
Sample

Microwave apple, cinnamon & walnut oats

A warm office-pantry breakfast in five minutes — sweet enough with no added sugar.

  • 7 min
  • Serves 1
  • Western
  • Microwave
  • Easy
WarmingWarms digestionKeeps you regularVeganHigh fibreNo added sugar

Why it suits you: High-fibre oats with soy milk and walnuts keep you full until lunch, and the apple and cinnamon bring the sweetness, so no sugar is needed.

Ingredients

To buy (4)

  • Unsweetened soy milk200 ml
  • Apple½, diced
  • Walnuts10 g, chopped
  • Ground cinnamon½ tsp

You have & pantry (1)

  • Rolled oats40 g

Method

Prep 3 min · Cook 4 min
  1. 1Put the oats and soy milk in a large microwave-safe bowl, leaving room so it does not boil over.
  2. 2Stir in half the diced apple.
  3. 3Microwave on high for 1½ minutes, stir, then another 1–1½ minutes until thick and creamy.
  4. 4Rest for a minute, then top with the rest of the apple, the walnuts and the cinnamon.

Nutrition per serving (estimate)

Glycaemic load：Medium
Energy
330 kcal
Carbs
42 g
Protein
13 g
Fat
13 g
Fibre
7 g
Sugar
11 g
Sodium
60 mg

AI estimate for guidance only — actual values depend on portions and ingredients.

Adjusted for your needs

  • No added sugar — the sweetness comes from the apple and cinnamon.

Cautions

  • Allergic to tree nuts or soy? Use pumpkin seeds and oat milk instead.
  • If you run hot (damp-heat, dry mouth, breakouts), use less cinnamon or leave it out.
  • Oats may contain gluten; choose certified gluten-free oats for coeliac disease.

Chef's tips

  • Combine the oats and soy milk in a lidded tub the night before; in the morning it needs just 2 minutes in the microwave.
  • Keep a small tub of walnuts and cinnamon at your desk.

The TCM view

Oats are neutral and sweet and support digestion and qi. A little cinnamon (pungent, sweet and hot) is enough to warm the stomach, and walnuts gently support the kidneys and keep you regular. A warm breakfast is kinder to digestion than chilled yoghurt or salad.

Suits: Busy office workers, Qi Deficiency, Yang Deficiency

Based on traditional Chinese medicine for general wellness education — not a medical diagnosis or treatment. If symptoms persist, are severe or unusual, please see a doctor or registered Chinese medicine practitioner.