According to Chinese medicine, confinement foods primarily serve to nourish and replenish the blood and give the body more yang, or warmth, through “warm” foods. It is a fairly thick soup resembling a chicken stew. Ginger, Chinese angelica root (dang gui), red beans (adzuki), and sesame oil provide warmth. Liver replenishes lost blood. Wind is also thought to cause moving pains in the body such as arthritis, which this soup helps to ward off. Add sweet potatoes, turnips (optional, I was cleaning out my fridge), carrots and kale. ginger. During the confinement period, this dish of ginger wine chicken 姜酒雞 is commonly eaten as it is believed that ginger is good for expelling wind, helping blood circulation and is good for body recuperation (believed to be able to speed up womb recovery). There are some other traditional Chinese postpartum foods that are even more adventurous, such as pigs feet in molasses, black vinegar and ginger or fish broth soup, which is excellent for encouraging milk production. 2 chicken thighs; 100g ginger In China, it's common for new moms to lay in bed for a whole month after giving birth. For Chinese Moms, Birth Means 30 Days In Pajamas The age-old tradition known as "sitting the month" has strict rules. If you enjoy drinking the vinegar “soup”, then use more sweetened vinegar. Ginger, being a heaty ingredient, enabled her body to stay and keep warm. 2 onions. Pigs feet, peanuts, and papaya boost breast milk. This first month after birth is also known as the confinement month. About 2-3 weeks after I gave birth, I was able to eat the “geung cho”, which translate to “ginger vinegar”. curry powder. You can make a basic chicken soup with vegetables, ginger, onions, shitake mushrooms and your grain of choice. Then place the ginger in a clay pot (or ceramic or glass pot) and add enough Chinese sweetened vinegar to completely cover the ginger. New moms are not allowed to shower, eat raw vegetables or … After browned, pour in chicken stock and scrape the delicious bits off the bottom of the pot. This ginger chicken soup is a staple in a new mother's diet in the first month. Traditionally, the mum takes the soup daily starting from one week after she gives birth after everything has settled down. People suffering from perpetual cold hands and cold feet can also try this soup to warm up the body. First saute onions, grated ginger, garlic, curry powder, and ground turkey. Asian women would usually undergo "confinement" for 30 days after giving birth to their child. Pork hock/pigs feet, ginger and egg was cooked in a sweet black vinegar. pepper. Ingredients. Lightly coat the bottom of the wok with oil and when the oil is hot, stir fry the ginger until aromatic, about 2 minutes. I am a big fan of this, and have been eating a bowl a day over the past few months. Wind is seen in Chinese medicine as carrying viruses and bacteria, which can cause harm to new mothers. garlic. (This cooking method is called “white wok” (白鑊) in This period is called “zuò yuè zǐ” (坐月子) is which literally means “sitting the month”. Chinese Postpartum Traditions & Chinese Confinement Food Recipes . himalayan salt. In the West, we call this postpartum confinement. Back in the days, after a woman gave birth, she was susceptible to virus, bacteria, disease because of the weakened condition of her body (for more information, you can do some leisure reading on the confinement practice). Cook over low heat on a wok or fry pan without any oil. And cold feet can also try this soup helps to ward off '' for 30 in... One week after she gives birth after everything has settled down birth means 30 days in Pajamas the age-old known! 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