TCM: Another ingredient for your vitality toolkit

Practical advice from Paris’ Elaine Huntzinger on how to apply Traditional Chinese Medicine’s principles this season

ON: Conversation autour des Rituels Yin avec ICICLE et Elaine Huntzinger au Bon Marché © Design + Know-How

A big theme of the last month or so has been Autumn and how to adapt to its conditions using yoga, ayurvedic tools and good old common sense: early to bed, take it easy, focus on slower practices like meditation, pranayama, Yin and Restorative asana.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has many of the same recommendations for this season. Its philosophy is founded on the idea that Qi (sometimes spelled Chi) is the vital life force animating us; for optimal health, Qi’s maintenance and flow must be unimpeded and free. Similar to Ayurveda’s Prana, Qi’s balance is precious and easily thrown out of whack by seasons, emotions, environment, diet and other factors if one isn’t paying close attention.

Who better to explain TCM and its prescription for Autumn than Elaine Huntzinger? Elaine is a sought-after TCM practitioner and skin whisperer in Paris whose skills extend far beyond her tiny acupuncture needles:

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“Les racines méditent sur les choses…”

At a recent talk hosted by Le Bon Marché and Icicle Paris, Elaine discussed the characteristics of this season (Yin) and what they’re urging us to do. Using trees as an example, she noted that they shed their leaves and focus all of their energy on their roots which “meditate on things.” We should do the same and root ourselves more deeply where we are planted.

For each season in TCM, there are corresponding themes, elements, organs, colors, and tastes and for this season, they are:

• Element: Metal

• Organs: Lungs, large intestine

• Colour: White (Icicle’s Winter palette is on point here)

• Theme: Letting go and focusing on what’s important

• Flavour: Pungent

How do you put that into practice?

Elaine’s TCM-inspired advice is incredibly practical. Just like Ayurveda, TCM doesn’t ask you to radically change anything; it’s more about making incremental shifts to your existing lifestyle.

For example, metal is the element of structure and this is definitely the moment to institute more routine: squirrels are stockpiling nuts, bears are storing more fat, tree roots are meditating on things, and we should be organizing and planning our schedules to make the best use of our energy and available light. Metal is also about delineating clear boundaries and releasing what no longer serves us (this is also a critical function of the large intestine 💩).

More great tips from Elaine:

• To protect the lungs, make sure you are well snuggled up when you step outside. Dress in layers with attention paid to what’s closest to your skin, ensuring tops and bottoms are made of soft natural materials. Guard against the wind by covering the back of your head, your neck and your kidneys.

• If you need an extra boost, add Manuka honey or marine collagen (Elaine likes Agent Nateur) to your diet.

• As a skincare specialist, Elaine also suggests regular visits to the hammam or sauna (whichever you prefer), deep tissue massages or lymphatic drainage to target circulation and get the Qi moving.

That’s nice and everything, but when do we eat?

When it comes to food, TCM’s advice is just as logical: it’s cold out so drink toasty beverages and eat cosy foods like soup (made with bone broth = 💯), and dishes prepared with warming spices like ginger, chili or turmeric. Certain types of meat (beef, chicken, lamb, shrimp) are considered to have “warm” characteristics and nourish Yin. If you do decide that you can’t live without salads or smoothies (been there), throw some cooked veg or fruit into the mix to “neutralise” the ill effects of the cold/raw stuff.

Chicken and shiitake congee with ginger and coriander. Not quite the right consistency yet © Design + Know-How

The ideal thing to cook? Congee! Congee or jook is what every Chinese person we know eats when they feel under the weather, hungover or just need a hug in the form of a comforting bowl of rice porridge. This is the perfect time to add this soup to your cooking repertoire as it’s nutritious, a Yin powerhouse, but also versatile and tasty.

At its heart, congee is a little bit of rice cooked in a lot of savory liquid. As the rice cooks, it begins to fall apart and lend its starch to the liquid which then becomes sticky and thick. Congee can be a simple affair—just rice and seasoned liquid—or it can be elaborate: some people soak two kinds of rice overnight, Fuschia Dunlop’s recipe takes 2.5 hours from beginning to end. Use a recipe if you’ve never made congee before, then freestyle once you have the basic proportions down.

To get started:
• Brown rice congee with chilli oil and crispy kale (ABC Everyday)
• Congee with Minced Pork and Crispy Shallots (Serious Eats)
• Le zhou, la bouillie chinoise pour faire le plein de vitalité (Elle)
• How to Make Congee Without a Recipe (Food52)

The best part of congee is the way it can be customized: top it with chopped coriander, salty peanuts, shredded chicken or crumbled tofu, a spoonful of chili crisp (get your pungent in there!), a glug of sesame oil or black vinegar, some pickled mustard greens, thinly sliced ginger or celery… Sky’s the limit.

Congee with flair: coriander, dried and fresh mushrooms, sliced ginger, chili crisp, day-old sautéed tofu © Design + Know-How

The congee we make changes depending on what we have available or more likely, what we’ve forgotten about in the refrigerator 😂 Basically the recipe looks something like this:

• soak a handful of dried mushrooms in some hot water

• while that’s going on, sautée some chopped fresh mushrooms that are past their prime in some oil with sliced ginger and/or garlic

• once the mushrooms are starting to get a little frisky brown at the edges, dump some rice into the pot and stir

• when the rice is coated in the oily business, pour in stock or water, bring to a boil then lower heat to a simmer and stir occasionally to prevent rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot

• If you’re planning on topping your congee with coriander and you don’t know what to do with the stems, chop them up and throw them in the pot now

• remember the dried mushrooms? If they’re plump, drain them, chop them up and add them to the congee. If the soaking water tastes good, keep it and pour that in (minus any dirt/mushroom dust), too.

• keep tasting as you stir and add soy sauce or tamari as you go

The congee is ready when (a) the rice is cooked and (b) you like the consistency. Some people prefer congee a little gluey like a bowl of nursery rhyme porridge; some prefer it a bit loose. Either way, its health benefits are backed by hundreds of years of user testing throughout Asia 🍲

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Paris resources for building an Asian pantry chez toi:
• Tang Frères (our favorite location is the enormous outpost at 48 avenue d’Ivry, 75013)
• Maison Huang (5 rue de l’Échiquier, 75010)
• Ace Mart (63 rue Sainte-Anne, 75002, skews korean obviously)
• Kioko (46 rue des Petits Champs, 75002, 98% japanese)