Confinement recipes
Home-style Cantonese dishes traditionally cooked for new mothers — soups, mains, drinks and sweets — with practical notes on food safety, alcohol and breastfeeding.
Chicken in rice wine (雞酒)
Chicken browned with ginger in sesame oil, then simmered in glutinous rice wine — with a lighter, lower-alcohol version for breastfeeding mothers.
Chinese broccoli with ginger (薑汁炒芥蘭)
Crisp Chinese broccoli stir-fried with ginger — the traditional way to cook greens during the confinement month, and quick to make with tenderstem too.
Fish congee with ginger (薑絲魚片粥)
Silky rice congee with thin slices of white fish and shredded ginger — a warm, easy breakfast for tired days and recovery after a caesarean.
Pork trotters, eggs and ginger in sweet vinegar (豬腳薑醋)
The confinement classic: mature ginger and pork trotters simmered in sweet black rice vinegar, with eggs steeped until they turn a deep brown. Made in a big pot and shared with visitors.
Sesame oil pork liver with ginger (麻油豬膶)
A quick Taiwanese-style confinement dish: pork liver stir-fried with plenty of ginger in black sesame oil — cooked right through, and best kept to once a week.
Silky steamed eggs (蒸水蛋)
Eggs beaten with warm water and steamed gently into a smooth, wobbly custard — soft, quick and easy to eat on tired days.
Steamed fish with ginger and spring onion (薑蔥蒸魚)
The everyday Cantonese way with fish: steamed until just cooked, then finished with ginger, spring onion, hot oil and soy sauce. Light, quick and full of protein.
Steamed pork patty with shiitake (冬菇蒸肉餅)
Everyday Cantonese home cooking: seasoned minced pork and chopped shiitake steamed in a flat patty, soft and juicy, with rice.
Traditional home recipes, shared for cultural interest — not medical or nutritional advice. Check with your midwife, health visitor or GP about allergies, special diets or medicines.