Anti-Bloat Mushroom Porridge

As a food blogger, I’m fortunate to make lots of yummy treats but sometimes too much of a good thing can also be bad. There are definitely days where I just feel super bloated and have to take a pause from recipe testing. On those days, I reach for porridge to kill the bloat and nourish myself.

The secret ingredient that really helps to alleviate my bloating is the “liver tonic” baggie, filled with Chinese medicinal herbs and roots that are thought to help with calming inflammation and increasing hydration to the body. These ingredients also help add an earthy flavor to your meals, almost the way that dried mushrooms normally do. If you’re interested in learning more about cooking with these types of ingredients, I recommend checking out Five Seasons TCM.

Ingredients:

• 4 dried shiitake mushrooms

• 2 pieces of dried kelp, around the size of your palm

• 1 bag of Liver Tonic from Five Seasons TCM

• 1/2 cup white sushi rice

• 2 cups water

• 1/3 cup of frozen peas

• 1 tsp rosemary leaves whole or roughly chopped

• 1-2 tsps of salt to taste

• 1-2 dried matsutake mushrooms

• Serve with pickles and/or pork floss

Instructions:

• Wash the shiitake mushrooms and kelp in cold water

• Add to a pot with the liver tonic bag and rosemary leaves, then pour in the 2 cups of water and sushi rice

• Cover the pot and bring to a rolling boil, then let it cook for about 10 mins.

• You should see the rice already puffed up and cooked but keep letting it cook for another 5 mins so porridge gets a thicker consistency.

• Remove the kelp, mushrooms, and liver tonic bag. Add some salt to taste.

• Reserve the shiitake mushroom and chop into thin slices. Add back to the pot.

• Once you have 3 mins left of cooking time, add in the dried matsutake mushrooms to rehydrate and cook, and add in the peas.

• Once the porridge is about done, taste again and see if you need some more salt.

• Serve with some freshly cracked black pepper, pork floss, and pickles.