Congee & Porridge
Mung Bean and Loquat Leaf Congee
Traditionally used to clear lung heat and cool the blood
Why people make this congee
Rosacea (a red, flushed nose) isn’t only a drinker’s complaint — research suggests people with very active oil glands are more prone to it, and some cases come from a follicle mite that dilates the tiny blood vessels of the nose. Living somewhere with poor sanitation can invite that mite; a medicated cream often helps those cases, while redness from drinking or overactive oil glands is harder to settle. On the food-therapy side, Bro Niu suggests a congee made with mung beans and loquat leaf, traditionally used to clear lung heat and cool the blood, to help ease the appearance of rosacea.
Who it suits / who should be cautious
- For people looking to support skin with redness of the heat type, as a gentle culinary measure.
- Rosacea has several different causes; a medicated cream may suit mite-driven cases, while drink- or oil-gland-driven cases are harder to settle. If it persists, please see a doctor.
Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)
- Mung beans (lü dou): traditionally cooling, used to clear heat.
- Loquat leaf (pi pa ye): traditionally used to clear lung heat.
- Rice and rock sugar: carry the congee and gently round its flavor.
Ingredients (2 bowls)
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Mung beans | ~40 g (1 liang) | Soaked and rinsed |
| Loquat leaf | ~11 g (3 qian) | Rinsed |
| White rice | ~75 g (2 liang) | |
| Rock sugar | to taste |
Method
- Soak and rinse the mung beans; rinse the loquat leaf.
- First simmer the loquat leaf in 5 bowls of water for half an hour; strain out the leaf and keep the liquid.
- Use that liquid to cook the mung beans and rice into a congee of medium thickness, then add rock sugar and stir until dissolved. Serve.
Bro Niu’s tips
Water bamboo (jiao bai) is sold at southern-goods shops and can also be cooked into congee for this purpose; peeled and mashed, it can be applied externally to help ease the symptoms too.
Community questions answered (selected)
- Q (Fan): I saw fresh luo han guo at the supermarket — can I make soup with it, adding apple and lean pork? Is it cooling? Bro Niu: Fresh luo han guo can be paired with apple in a lean-pork soup; if you’re worried about it being cooling, add some ginger and red dates.
Published January 3, 2011 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 2 min read.
