Eat Your Medicine. recipes to revolutionize your health.
Immunity is a community effort, and it starts in the home. Antidote Apothecary edeavors to equip you with the confidence and tools to really create a healing home with delicious, practical whole food recipes and tonics. Good support at home helps to maintain strong vibrant community members, and that is the basis of a strong living community at large!
The ‘Eat Your Medicine’ collection of recipes will no doubt become as eclectic as my herbal education at Arbor Vitae School of Eclectic Medicine, but I will try here at the outset to pull in 5 Element Theory as much as I can since it is the architecture on which I hang my herbal protocols and evaluations.
After graduating from the program, I opened Antidote Apothecary, an herb shop and cafe in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. There I had a beautiful opportunity to hone my recipes and shape-up my food to answer the needs of the larger community that formed as a result of Antidote Apothecary., it was a lovely symbiotic action. I hope you enjoy what I learned.
PS. nothing is perfect, and everything can be adjusted to suit both individual needs/tastes, and what’s available in your kitchen!
The Ultimate Winter Comfort: Herbal Congee
Congee is an ancient comfort food found across Asia, known by many names: Kanji in ancient Tamil (where the name originated), Jook, Zhao, Kayu, Muê, Babor Mŏən, and even Arroz Caldo in the Philippines. Regardless of the name, it is always a rice porridge that is warming, grounding, and easily digestible—making it the natural choice for my first Eat Your Medicine post.
Restore Your Reservoir
Historically, ginger and turmeric are brewed into the broth, whether the dish is served for breakfast or dinner. However, congee offers incredible room to incorporate even more healthful herbs that support the kidneys and bladder—the organs of the season.
It is deep winter here in NYC, and it’s been bitterly cold, even for the season. There isn’t a more pertinent time to remember that immunity is a community effort. When we protect ourselves, we protect each other. For the more vulnerable among us, this season can be lethal; it is vital to lessen the load on them by staying as healthy as we can.
The Wisdom of Winter
In Five Element Theory, winter is represented by the element of Water, which is associated with the kidneys and bladder. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the kidneys hold the reservoir of Jing—our individual essence or life force, and a direct reflection of our immunity.
To honor the element of Water, now is the time to:
Slow down and embrace stillness.
Eat warming, cooked foods like this porridge.
Refill your reservoir with deep rest and intentional movement.
Feed your reservoir, my friends!
Check out this video for rice prep, post soaking.
For the technique behind this silky, vegetarian, herbal masterpiece, I leaned on the process from “Dad’s Authentic Congee: A Chinese Chef’s Secrets.” It is truly delicious—or so I’ve been told (wink).
Note: If you don’t have every single herb listed in this recipe, please don't let that stop you. I hope you still make it!
The Medicinal Base: Rice & Broth
This isn't just a porridge, it is a nutritive tonic. We simmer the rice directly with the medicinal herbs to ensure every grain absorbs the healing properties of the roots and aromatics. For traditional simmering techniques, I leaned on this rice prep method to make our herbal version as silky as “Dad’s Authentic Congee.”
Ingredients & Prep
1 cup Jasmine Rice Soak over night and rinse 3x. At least soak for an hour & rinse if time gets away.
***"Qi" builder; soaked, rinsed rice is easier on the gut
8–10 cups Water Filtered is best
.Fresh Ginger 2in finger, sliced & diced
***Warming; expels "cold" from the body.
Fresh Turmeric 1in finger, sliced & diced.
***Anti-inflammatory; moves the blood.
Garlic Cloves 4 cloves crushed.
***Antimicrobial; supports the immune system.
Yellow Onion 1 medium, diced
***Sweetness to balance the bitter herbs.
Serrano & Jalapeño sliced & diced, remove the seeds or omit entirely if sensitive to heat. Gently stokes the "digestive fire."
IN THE TEA BALL/SACHET/MUSLIN
to be removed from broth & rice before serving
Dried Burdock Root2 tbsp
Deeply grounding; supports Kidney filtration.
Dried Dandelion Root1 tbsp
Detoxifying; cleanses the "Water" pathways.
Juniper Berries1 tsp, bruised
The classic Kidney tonic; piney and bright.
THE MUSHROOMS
I used 8oz each of
Shitake ***neutral, tonifies Qi and moves blood
Oyster ***warming, supports liver and spleen, dispels windy cold.
Portobello ***cooling/neutral liver
Slice 18-24 oz of mushroo/ms & lay them out in the window for 45 mins. Then toss them in 1/4 cup peanut sauce, 1/4 cup tamari, 1 tbsp miso paste, and 2Tbsp corn starch. Then throw them in the congee pot for 3-5 minutes and you’re ready to top and serve! & Energetic Profile
IngredientThermal NatureOrgans MisoNeutral/CoolKidney, SpleenFermented "Salty" flavor that directs energy downward and detoxifies.Tamari/PeanutNeutralSpleen, LungProvides grounding protein and healthy fats to "moisten" dryness.
The Toppings
cilantro
green onions
pumpkin seeds
black sesame seeds
pistachio