Water Caltrop and Coix Seed Congee

Why people make this congee

Water caltrop (ling jiao) is an autumn specialty — a small, hard-shelled aquatic nut whose season is brief. Pre-shelled kernels are widely available and far more convenient; in terms of flavour, eating them from the shell is more satisfying, but the shelled version works perfectly in this congee. In Chinese food therapy, water caltrop has both a traditional and a modern-research dimension: it is traditionally considered to clear heat and support digestive function, and modern research has pointed to compounds in the fruit flesh that may have relevance to cancer biology — including activity against Ehrlich ascites tumour, and components associated with oesophageal, cervical and breast cancer research.

Coix seed (yi mi / Job’s tears) is one of the most widely used everyday health grains in Chinese food therapy. It supports the drainage of excess fluid, strengthens the spleen, nourishes the skin and lungs — and like water caltrop, modern research has identified active compounds (including selenium, coix seed ester and linoleic acid) that are associated with anti-tumour activity. Combining these two ingredients into a simple congee creates a wholesome, easy-to-digest dish that is suitable as a regular health food for the whole family.