Recipe for Chinese Chicken Rice Porridge

Chinese New Year, the Year of the Rabbit, was earlier this month, so I thought I'd share this recipe for Chinese chicken rice porridge. I happen to be half-Chinese, and born in the Year of the Rabbit, so lately I've been feeling pretty lucky-and confident in my new found recipes.

Ingredients:

• 2 pieces of chicken breasts with bone
• 1 scoop of white, long grain rice
• 1 can of chicken broth
• carrots (peeled and chopped)
• celery (washed and chopped)
• ginger root (peeled and chopped)
• Chinese bok choy (if you can't find bok choy, then lettuce works just as well)

Directions:

1. Place the white, long grain rice into a pot.
2. Rinse the chicken breasts with bone and add them to the pot with rice.
3. Fill the pot one-half to three-quarters full with water, and then pour in the can of chicken broth.
4. Rinse the carrots, ginger root, and celery, and then add the chopped pieces to the pot.
5. Bring the ingredients to a boil, and then let simmer for around two hours.
6. After two hours of simmering, take out the chicken bone and the celery (unless you really like celery).
7. Cut the chicken meat into small, bite-sized pieces.
8. Bring the pot back to a boil, and then add the bok choy (or lettuce).
9. Cook until the vegetables are soft and the chicken is done. You can tell a chicken is cooked all the way through if the meat in the middle is no longer pink. Or, if you have a meat thermometer, the temperature should reach between 170-180 degrees Fahrenheit.

Fun Facts:

Bok choy is a type of cabbage with dark green leaves. According to Health Learning Info, bok choy "is by far the healthiest type of cabbage you can eat." In addition to being high in vitamin C, it "contains significant amounts of nitrogen compounds known as indoles, phytochemicals that are believed to deactivate potent estrogens that can stimulate the growth of tumors, particularly in the breast." Bok choy is also a good source of fiber, potassium, and calcium. In fact, Health Learning Info says that one cup of bok choy equals about as much calcium as one-half cup of milk.

Ginger is a type of healing food. It helps to relieve stomachaches and nausea, and it can also reduce cholesterol and help your stomach digest food. And, if ginger is used in tea, it can help break fevers.

Resources:

Amrita Veda

Health Learning Info