Aged Tangerine Peel, Red Date & Millet Congee

Why people make this congee

A friend gave Nourilo a bag of fragrant aged peel from Xinhui, lovely for tea, cooking, soups and congee alike. Golden millet has long been treasured up north — it is the food women eat during their “sitting the month” recovery. Old texts say millet “calms an upset stomach and benefits digestion.” Paired with red dates and aged tangerine peel, this is a gentle, warming bowl, especially kind to weak stomachs, poor absorption, or anyone freshly out of surgery.

Method

1. Soak the tangerine peel until soft; pit the red dates; rinse the millet.
2. Add everything to a rice cooker with water and set to the congee function — it cooks quickly and is ready to eat.

Nourilo’s Tips

Millet is very nourishing, with more vitamin B1 than most grains, and is good for the brain too. Because it can be a touch thin, you can thicken it with a little lotus-root starch, or cook in a small amount of regular congee rice for a fuller texture.