Yakuzen (Medicinal Dishes)
Around this time of the year in Japan, when people are exhausted from the heat and humidity, we traditionally eat roasted eels. It is believed that eels provide vitality that is needed to recover from the heat exhaustion. I am not sure if roasted eels truly have medicinal properties, but we all enjoy them because, if nothing else, they taste so good. Although, even if eels indeed have said medicinal properties, it is impossible to get the proper benefits from them here in the U.S. because all the eels here have been farm raised and frozen during shipping.

So, instead of eels, I would like to introduce you to a simple Yakuzen (medicinal dish) to nourish your whole family when you are exhausted from the heat. When you have the heat exhaustion, you often lack appetite, and you drink a lot of cold drinks. This creates a vicious cycle in which your digestive system is weakened when you need nutrients to nourish your bodies. Porridge is a great thing to eat when you have no appetite.
Porridge with Shan Yao

This is the perfect dish for hot weather because it is easy to prepare, it is very low in calories, and it aids metabolism due to its high water content. On top of all that, we add a little ingredient that is commonly used in Eastern herbal formulas: Shan Yao. Shan Yao is a dried and prepared form of Chinese Yams, or Yama Imo in Japanese. I am sure you have seen it at an Asian grocery store. Shan Yao strengthens the digestive system and works as a Qi tonic. It is a key ingredient for treating someone with deficient Qi.

Ingredients (4 servings)

• 1 cup of rice
  
• 10g of Shan Yao (You can purchase it at a Chinese herb store or an Asian grocery
• store. It looks like chalk and is cut into small pieces.)
  
• 10 cups of water

Cooking method
Rinse rice and ShanYao and place them into a large clay pot. Add 10 cups of water.
Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low
Stir occasionally and simmer for 90 minutes
Add salt to taste

That’s it! Porridge with Shan Yao is a great thing to eat when you are tired and have no appetite. Shan Yao is tasteless, so the porridge tastes just like plain porridge. Since Shan Yao is just dried yams, it has no side effects whatsoever and is safe to eat every day. There are so many different variations to medicinal porridges; you can add many different herbs depending on your conditions. It is a good idea to talk to a Chinese herb specialist at an herb store or an acupuncturist. I really hope you have a chance to try this when you are exhausted from the heat. Have a great summer!