(Confinement) Deer Antler Healing Soup

by LadyTong | Oct 14, 2010 | Confinement Soups, Winter Soups | 9 comments

(Confinement) Deer Antler Healing Soup

Soup Name:

Traditional Chinese Name:

鹿茸高麗參雞湯 (Lù róng gāo lì cān Jī tāng)

This soup is very warming in nature and sweet to taste.

For videos, visit us on YouTube.

A pretty traditional (although the ingredients aren’t easy to find) Chinese confinement soup. High quality Korean ginseng is not a cooling ingredient and is extremely beneficial in aiding the body in healing. You can really taste the fire or “hotness” in this soup as it literally does warm your body. While this soup does not contain your more mainstream ingredients, it is a traditional recipe that is passed down from generation to generation. There are a few variations of this soup, but a majority of the time, the key ingredients are always there.

For more information on what confinement is and the Chinese ingredients associated with confinement, please see our Confinement Soups page.

This is what dried deer antler’s look like. Small, ovalish, and brown thinly sliced wood-like herbs that are hard to texture and feel. This ingredient is designed for warming the Yang and targets vital essence and blood, which is why it’s so commonly used for confinement, healing, and post surgeries.

To be honest, I don’t commonly use this Chinese medicine in soups, but really only for confinement purposes.

What’s involved?

Prep time: 30 mins

Cook time: 2 hours

Total time: 2 hours 30 mins

Serves: 2 bowls

Ingredients

1 fresh whole chicken, prepared
1 pound of fresh pork shank
5-6 slices of deer antler, washed
5-6 slices of Korean ginseng, washed
5 large dried red dates
1 L of boiling hot water

Cooking Instructions

Blanch the pork and chicken in a pot of boiling water
In a separate pot of boiling water, add all the ingredients together and boil on high heat for 30 minutes
Here you can either turn your soup onto medium and let it continue to simmer for another 2 hours or transfer soup into a ceramic pot and double boil for 2 hours (the objective to intensive the flavor of the soup with the Chinese herbs)
Serve hot

Any benefits?

This soup is warming and healing
Great for confinement, post surgery, and healing
It is designed to remove “wind” from the body and particularly helpful for nourishing essence and blood
Both deer antlers and Korean Ginseng are super warming ingredients
This tonic (literally that’s what I call it rather than a soup) targets the kidneys and liver (vital parts in TCM)

For videos, visit us on YouTube.

A selection of confinement Chinese Soups

What is confinement and confinement stories

Baby 5 & 6 Confinement story

Some confinement foods for your tummy!

The DO's and DON'T's of confinement

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(Confinement) Black Bean, Rice and Ginger Water

by LadyTong | Oct 8, 2010 | Confinement Soups, Postpartum Soups, Vegetarian | 10 comments

(Confinement) Black Bean, Rice and Ginger Water

Soup Name:

(Confinement) Black Bean, Rice and Ginger Water – sometimes called Teas

Traditional Chinese Name:

黑豆姜水 (Hēi dòu jiāng shuǐ)

This tea is very warming in nature and slightly sweet to taste.

For videos, visit us on YouTube.

This is a traditional confinement drink that is said to help reduce “wind” in the body and “warm” it up to help with the healing process after giving birth. These are common ingredients found in various confinement soups, teas and recipes (especially ginger). Some people make a large batch of the black bean and ginger mixture and steep it like teas for drinking everyday throughout their confinement.

For more information on what confinement is and the Chinese ingredients associated with confinement, please see our Confinement Soups page.

Ginger is to drive away the wind from the body and heal and warm. I prefer to use ginger juice, but some will also use ginger flesh and the skin. This is a key ingredient to this tea. You can add as little or as much ginger as you like depending on how spicy you’d like it.

Black beans help dispel water from the body, but also activates blood circulation and detoxification. They are naturally sweet and when pan fried, are warmed and compliment the heaty tea needed for confinement.

Rice in Traditional Chinese Medicine is used to strengthen the qi and blood. Interestingly enough, the word qi (in Traditional Chinese) is derived from the words air and rice. Rice holds significant meaning in this regard and is used as one of the key recipes for this tea!

You can optionally add some rock sugar for taste.

What’s involved?

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Total time: 40 mins

Serves: 4 cups of tea

Ingredients

1 teaspoon of oil
2 tablespoons of ginger juice, pulp optional
1 cup of black beans, rinsed
1 cup of white rice, rinsed
1/2 cup of water, to cook rice
optional rock sugar

Cooking Instructions

In a frying pan, heat up oil on medium heat.
When oil is hot, add black beans, white rice and ginger juice and cook for 2 minutes, constantly stirring
Add 1/2 cup of water and continue to stir and mixture until all the water evaporates. Be sure to adjust the heat accordingly to prevent burning.
Once mixture is dry and golden brown (see picture below) and cooked, set aside and cool.
In a cup, scoop 1 tablespoon of mixture and add hot water to it. Steep for 10 minutes and drink hot.

Any benefits?

Effective drink in removing “wind” from the body
Helps warm the body
Assists in helping those in confinement get lots of fluid into the body and to help flush the system
Also helps to improve water levels in the body (especially for those mothers who are breastfeeding)