Jiaogulan and Red Date Congee

Why people make this congee

Studies suggest that as many as one in four people locally may have fatty liver — and that fatty liver is linked to a higher chance of bowel polyps, which matter for long-term gut health. So the smart move is to look after the liver early. For anyone with fatty liver, the first steps are losing excess weight and eating lighter, with less oil and less sugar. A gentle food-therapy congee can be a helpful companion: jiaogulan tea is traditionally valued for the liver, and simmered with red dates and a little slab sugar into a congee, it makes a comforting daily bowl.

Method

1. Put the jiaogulan in a tea-bag pouch.
2. Simmer it with the rinsed red dates and white rice into a congee.
3. Stir in slab sugar until dissolved. Eat to taste.

Nourilo’s Tips

Jiaogulan is sold at tea shops and some Chinese-medicine stores. You can first decoct the jiaogulan in water for about 15 minutes, strain it, then use that liquid to cook the congee. The same jiaogulan can be re-steeped for drinking afterward.