Pine Nut and Hemp Seed Congee

Why people make this congee

Constipation may not be a serious illness, but it really wears down daily life — and it tends to show up in older folks who are weak in qi, or in people recovering from illness or childbirth, where dryness and depleted fluids leave the intestines parched. Nourilo’s point: if it isn’t a hot, excess-type problem, you shouldn’t reach for harsh, cold-natured purgatives, or you can make things worse. Nourishing seeds and nuts like walnut, sesame, pine nut and hemp seed gently moisten the bowels while also building you up.

Method

1. Rinse the pine nuts. Place the hemp seeds in a small cloth bag (they have a hull and are hard to pick out otherwise).
2. Cook the bag of hemp seed and the pine nuts together with the rinsed rice into a congee, about 1 hour.
3. Remove the hemp-seed bag and serve.

Nourilo’s Tips

The hemp seeds go in a cloth bag because the husks would otherwise mix into the congee and be impossible to pick out from the pine nuts. The congee is gently nourishing and is also soothing for people who are short on sleep, dry with irritability, or constipated.