In Chinese medicine, rice is especially helpful for the spleen and stomach (which encompass more than just the organs, encompassing the organ systems and their functions). It makes an easily digestible food during every season, but with the addition of warming herbs and spring bounty, it can also help the body adjust to the blowing spring winds. Try making this at home to accompany a spring vegetable stir-fry or a coriander-spiced chicken:
Scented Springtime Rice
(makes 8 servings)
3 cups jasmine rice (organic if you can find it)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil (try grapeseed or avocado for a heart-healthy change)
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh ginger (leave the peel on; it is Chinese medicine!)
3 large garlic cloves, finely minced
4 1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 large bunch cilantro, bottom stems trimmed and discarded, tops and remaining stems coarsely chopped
Place rice in large sieve; rinse under cold running water until water runs clear. Drain. Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add ginger and garlic; stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add rice and stir 3 minutes, coating the grains with oil. Stir in broth and salt. Sprinkle cilantro over. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and cook until rice is tender, 12-18 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand covered 10 minutes. Fluff rice with fork.
Braised Chicken with Coriander
(serves 4-6)
Toasting and grinding the coriander seeds lends an exotic scent to the kitchen. Coriander is warming and facilitates digestion.
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce (I like Pearl River Bridge brand)
2 tablespoons light (i.e. regular) soy sauce
3 lbs. skin-on chicken thighs
3 1/2 tablespoons whole coriander seeds
5 large shallots, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/3 cup peanut oil
salt
Scented Springtime Jasmine Rice
Stir together 1 tablespoon sugar and soy sauces in a large bowl. Add chicken and toss to coat. Cover bowl; marinate in refrigerator for 1-3 hours.
Toast coriander seeds in a large skillet over medium heat until fragrant and a shade darker (3-4 minutes). Let cool. Grind to powder in a spice grinder; set aside. In a food processor, pulse shallots and garlic into a rough paste.
Heat oil in a wok or flat-bottomed skillet over medium heat (you need this much oil; otherwise the shallot-garlic paste sticks together too much). Add shallot-garlic paste, stirring constantly, until fragrant and softened. Add 1 tablespoon sugar and cook for one minute more. Add ground coriander; cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.
Lift chicken out of marinade; add to wok (don't throw out the marinade!). Cook, turning occasionally, for 3-4 minutes. Stir 1 2/3 cups water into the reserved marinade; add to wok. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low, and simmer, partially covered, until chicken is cooked through and sauce has thickened, about 45 minutes.
Stir in remaining sugar; add salt to taste. Serve with Scented Springtime Jasmine Rice. Enjoy! And don't forget to chew.
Interested in incorporating Chinese Nutrition into your natural healing and acupuncture therapy?
Read more about the intake of FATS during winter Read more about CAFFEINE consumption during cold weather
*The information contained in these pages is not intended to replace the advice of any medical doctor whose care you may be under.