Sidedish

Comfort food

by mimithorisson

My daughter Louise woke up feeling unwell yesterday – she’s having a little cold. Nothing too serious, but I wanted her to stay at home and get some rest. I could see a ray of light glowing with happiness in her eyes when she asked: ‘Will I get Chinese rice for lunch?’ It is our family tradition to have ginger fried rice when someone gets ill. It’s our equivalent of chicken noodle soup for the soul. Growing up in Hong-Kong, Chinese herbal medicine was a way of living. There was always a soup boiling in the clay pot with goji berries, ginseng, lotus seeds, red dates to name a few. Every morning my mother gave me a spoon of bird-nest soup (delicacy in Chinese cuisine filled with minerals) before going to school. Nutrition has a purpose – natural preventive medicine.

Ginger does wonder to health, and I always make sure to have a few roots at home. Whether I use it as a spice for cooking or grate it for drinks, it’s my miracle ingredient. It acts as an anti-oxidant, has powerful enzymes for digestion, eliminates toxins and purifies blood. So next time you feel tired and unwell, try this drink: Boil one liter of water in a pan. Add 3 tbsp grated fresh ginger, 3 slices of ginger, 5 tbsp honey and set aside to cool. Drink this rejuvenating ‘potion’ all day long – you will be amazed with the results. My mother always said that ginger kills the bad fire caused by inflammatory food. That ‘bad fire’ is the source to all health problems.

Louise was very happy to have the ginger fried rice served in her princess bed – pure comfort food filled with goodness. It is so easy to make and takes a few minutes to cook.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp grated ginger root (I like to put 5 but it’s a bit strong for kids)
250 grs left-over cooked white rice
2 eggs
3 tbsp soya sauce
1 garlic clove (minced)
1 shallot (chopped finely)
3 tbsp canola or ground-nut oil

Heat the oil in a frying pan on a high heat. Fry the shallots, garlic and grated ginger for two minutes. Add the rice and stir well. Make a well in the middle of the pan and break the eggs in the center. Mix the eggs and cook in a ‘scrambled eggs’ style, then mix all the ingredients together in the pan. Add soya sauce and fry for two more minutes. Serve immediately.