Simply Steamed Eggplant (Qing Zheng Ai Gua)

Why people make this dish

Eggplant is not the most glamorous vegetable — but in Cantonese food therapy, its simplest preparation (steamed, with just oil and salt) is one of the classic remedies for hemorrhoid-related bleeding and bowel inflammation. The reason lies in its vitamin P content: specifically rutin, a bioflavonoid that helps maintain the integrity of small blood vessels (capillaries), which underpins its traditional use for hemorrhoid bleeding, intestinal bleeding, and skin bruising from fragile capillaries. Steaming over rice is the traditional method — the gentle, moist heat preserves more of the vegetable’s nutrients and results in a remarkably tender, silky texture that is genuinely delicious and very easy to eat.

Who it suits / who should be cautious

• Those experiencing hemorrhoid bleeding, intestinal wind bleeding, or fragile capillaries with easy bruising.
• Anyone wanting a simple, easily digestible side dish.
• Eggplant is cooling in nature — those with a cold, weak digestive system (spleen-stomach cold deficiency) should eat it only moderately, and can add minced garlic or fermented black bean paste to cooking to reduce the cooling effect.
• Pregnant women may eat eggplant — adding garlic reduces the cold nature further.
• Those with eczema can also eat eggplant.
• Do not eat in large quantities if you have loose stools or diarrhea.

Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)

• Eggplant (ai gua / qie zi): Contains vitamin P (rutin), which strengthens capillary walls and helps prevent capillary rupture — supporting the body’s ability to resist the kind of small-vessel breakdown that causes hemorrhoid bleeding, bruising, and intestinal bleeding. Also contains vitamins A, B, and C. Traditional functions include clearing heat, moving blood, reducing swelling, and relieving pain.

Ingredients (1–2 servings)

Ingredient	Amount	Notes
Eggplant (long variety preferred)	1 medium	Washed
Oil (sesame or neutral cooking oil)	a small drizzle
Salt	to taste

Method

1. Wash the eggplant and cut it in half lengthwise.
2. Place the eggplant halves directly on top of your rice in the rice cooker or steamer as the rice finishes cooking — this is the traditional way, letting the eggplant steam gently in the moist environment. Alternatively: place the halved eggplant in a steamer basket over a pot of boiling water and steam for 12–15 minutes until completely soft.
3. Remove and allow to cool slightly. Use a pair of chopsticks to pull the eggplant apart into long, natural strips — this is better than cutting and gives a more silky texture.
4. Drizzle with oil, season with salt, and serve immediately.

Bro Niu’s tips

When buying long eggplant, choose lighter, softer ones with a pointed tip — these have fewer seeds and more tender flesh. Heavier, round-ended eggplants have more seeds and denser flesh. The oil-and-salt version is the simplest and lets the vegetable’s natural character come through. If you want a more flavorful version for everyday eating, add minced garlic and fermented black bean paste — this also reduces the cooling nature, making it more suitable for those with a cold constitution. For hemorrhoid bleeding, a supporting soup to take alongside is: sophora flower buds (huai hua) 3 qian in a tea bag, dried mussels (dan cai) 2 liang, and dried figs 4 pieces, simmered with lean pork — drink regularly for support.

Community questions answered (selected)

• Q (Miu): My husband has both internal and external hemorrhoids and has seen both Western and Chinese doctors but keeps relapsing. What soup can help him? Bro Niu: You can simmer sophora flower buds (huai hua) 3 qian, dried mussels (dan cai) 2 liang, and dried figs 4 pieces with lean pork — 8 bowls of water cooked down to 4 bowls. This can be split over 2 days; drink for 3 sessions (6 days total) to help reduce hemorrhoid flare-ups.

• Q (英): I am 54 and have external hemorrhoids that prolapse after every bowel movement. I clean and pad them, but they keep bleeding until bedtime. What can I do? Bro Niu: What you are describing sounds more like a rectal prolapse pattern than simple hemorrhoids — hemorrhoids are actually varicose veins in the rectum. Try simmering huang qi (astragalus) 5 qian, sheng ma (black cohosh) 3 qian, and red dates 6 pieces with lean pork — 5 bowls of water down to 2 bowls, drink for 3 consecutive days. This combination has a “lifting” action in traditional medicine and may help support the tissues that have descended.

• Q (man ling): I am newly pregnant. Can I eat eggplant? Bro Niu: Yes, you can eat eggplant during pregnancy — just add garlic when cooking to reduce its cooling nature, and that will be fine.

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Published May 14, 2012 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 4 min read.