For a family of five, it can take a minute to recover from the virus. One person starts and what is his 48 hours becomes the next person's 48 hours.
This year's holiday season was the worst for us! In December, I basically had constant abdominal pain. The last time I felt like that, I was living in China with the dreaded expat fever. My Chinese roommate at the time was a kind-hearted person from Sichuan. She took me under her wing and introduced me to porridge, a traditional Chinese solution to all kinds of ailments. It's a recipe I keep coming back to, especially in the last few weeks. It is gentle on the intestines and helps rebuild the stomach lining and restore the body's general immunity after the flu.
This recipe keeps well, so you can experiment and adapt it as your appetite returns. On the second day, try adding a soft-boiled egg and well-cooked bok choy or mushrooms.
Oh, and my kids (3 and 1 1/2 years old) who eat the food love it. Mothers of young children please be careful!
chicken and ginger porridge
material
- 1 cup long grain white rice
- 8 cups chicken soup
- 1/4 cup grass-fed beef gelatin
- 6 chicken thighs (with bone)
- 1 piece of ginger (approximately 1 inch by 1 inch), peeled and sliced into large pieces.
- taste with salt
- Green onions for decoration
Instructions
- Wash the rice and drain the water. Pour the rice into a heavy pot (a cast iron pot is best).
- Add the stock, ginger, and chicken thighs.
- Bring the pot to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat. Add gelatin (powdered gelatin). Simmer the pot, covered, for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the rice has absorbed most of the liquid and begins to fall apart. If you use white rice, it will take about an hour.
- Remove chicken thighs to a bowl and let cool. When the chicken thighs are cool enough to handle, shred the meat and remove the bones.
- Add the shredded chicken back to the porridge and mix well.
- Add salt if necessary. Soy sauce is also fine.
- Serve the porridge in individual bowls and garnish with green onions if desired.
