Seaweed, Mung Bean and Job's Tears Sweet Porridge

Why people make this porridge

Kidney stones are influenced by many factors — environment, water quality, diet, genetics, and lifestyle all play a role. The dietary connection is real: how much water you drink, how much salt and animal protein you consume, and your intake of oxalate-rich foods (like spinach) can all affect stone formation. From a food-management perspective, the most important habit is simply drinking more water to dilute the urine and make crystallisation harder. Nourilo adds five dietary guidelines: less spinach with tofu (high oxalate + calcium is a problematic pairing); moderate vitamin C; moderate calcium-rich foods; less salt; and less beef and lamb (which are higher in purine compounds that can contribute to uric acid stones).

This sweet porridge combines three ingredients with a long history in Chinese food therapy for supporting kidney and urinary health. It is suitable as a complementary home remedy for those experiencing damp-heat type symptoms — frequent urination, urgency, a burning sensation, or incomplete voiding — but it does not replace medical care.

Method

1. Soak the seaweed in cold water until softened. Drain and roughly chop or cut into pieces.
2. Rinse the mung beans and coix seed.
3. Combine all ingredients (except the rock sugar) in a pot with 1.8–2.1 L of water.
4. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 1 hour until the beans and seeds are soft and the mixture is porridge-like.
5. Add rock sugar to taste and stir until dissolved.
6. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Nourilo’s Tips

This is a light, pleasant sweet porridge that healthy people can eat too — it is not exclusively medicinal. Keep in mind the lifestyle reminders Nourilo emphasises: the single most powerful preventive measure for kidney stones is drinking more water throughout the day. Eating a balanced, varied diet and avoiding excess of any single food category is ultimately more important than any specific soup or porridge. Pregnant women and those with a cold, weak digestive constitution should skip this recipe.