Dory is now my middle name. This week I left my iPhone in NTUC…luckily I discovered it fast enough and I never was so glad as when the cashier pulled my phone our of her pocket. That same day I also had to send off an important email but I literally forgot what I was supposed to do within 20 seconds of thinking about it, and this actually happened 3 times. I think I will soon have to go around saying “Hi, I’m Dory, I’ve got short-term membemory loss” (with that cutesy voice of course).
So this weekend I decided to make ginkgo nut and scallop porridge. Unfortunately I think one needs to take a LOT of ginkgo nuts to help my memory and ginkgo nuts are actually toxic in large amounts…so either way I can’t win. Still there is something virtuous about eating something that is supposed to be good for you. I also threw in some enoki mushrooms into this porridge – another food item much touted for its health benefits, but scientifically it actually needs bushels of the mushroom to actually produce enough of the immune-modulating compound to make a difference. But at least this makes for a tasty and textured porridge which was what I was in the mood for today.
I think a good bowl of rice porridge is what I do miss from my pre-low carb days. That was until I discovered that cauliflower makes a pretty decent substitute. The only thing about using cauliflower is that it should only be cooked for so long and no longer, if not it loses texture and you would not have the “rice” kind of mouth feel to the porridge.
I make chicken porridge fairly often but I decided to use dried scallops instead today. I am completely unfamiliar with Chinese medicine philosophy but apparently scallops are the treatment for “yin deficiency”, whatever that means. I think the dried scallops and cauliflower lends a lovely sweetness to the broth. And the bitter tones of the ginkgo nuts bring an interesting depth to this meal. I could eat this all day.
Ginkgo Nut and Scallop Cauliflower Rice Porridge
Ingredients
- 1/2 head of cauliflower
- 5-6 medium-sized dried scallops
- 200g minced lean pork
- 40g ginkgo nuts
- 20g enoki mushrooms, roots trimmed off
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
- 4 cups water
- 1 small sprig of spring onions, green parts chopped
Method
- Bring the water to boil in a pot. Add the scallops and boil for another 40 minutes.
- In the meantime, cut the cauliflower into florets and chop into fine rice-sized bits using a food processor.
- Add the cauliflower bits into the boiling stock. Add the minced pork, breaking the pork up into small pieces. Add the salt and pepper and simmer the porridge for the next 1/2 hour.
- Add the ginkgo nuts and enoki mushrooms and simmer for anothe 5 minutes.
- Serve hot with spring onions sprinkled on top.
Still Feeling Peckish 