5 Comforting Confinement Food Recipes to Try at Home

Confinement is a time for recovery and rest. This is when mothers who have just delivered should be getting a lot of nutrition, especially so if they are nursing, in order to boost their energy and strength, and recover their overall health. Food plays an important role as that is where all your nutrients come from. So, here are 5 simple confinement food recipes that you can try at home.

Pork Trotter Vinegar

A widely popular Cantonese dish, pork trotter vinegar is a staple when it comes to confinement food. People believe it to be able to remove the “wind” that mothers get after delivery and boost energy while also replenishing collagen, warming the womb, and strengthening the body. The name may make it sound like it is a difficult dish to make, but it is surprisingly easy. Here’s how you do it.

1. Clean the ingredients (pork trotters, ginger).
2. Blanch pork trotters in boiling water for 10 minutes to get rid of the pork smell. 
3. Then, in a clean pot, add sesame oil and stir fry some sliced ginger.
4. Add the pork trotters and continue frying for a few minutes. 
5. Transfer everything to a big pot.
6. Add a bottle of sweet black vinegar and equal or double the volume of water (depending on your preference).
7. Next, add sugar and salt to taste and bring it to a boil before turning down the heat and letting it simmer until the pork trotters are soft but not too jelly-like. May take about 50-90 minutes before ready for consumption.
8. Take a good portion and have it with rice.

Optional step

9. Make and peel hard boiled eggs and add them to the pot 15 minutes before it is complete.
10. Turn off heat once the pork trotters are soft enough. Leave it to sit for a few hours or even up to 3 days to absorb the flavours even more before consuming.

Sesame Oil Chicken

Sesame oil chicken is a common dish for confinement. It is very homely food with ingredients that strengthens the body and aids with recovery. The sesame oil has antioxidant properties, the ginger helps to warm up the body, while the chicken serves protein. It is amazing how simple it is to make this nourishing dish.

1. Clean the ingredients (chicken, ginger).
2. Heat up a pan and add sesame oil. Throw in some sliced ginger and stir fry until brown. 
3. Add chicken and stir fry for 10-15 seconds.
4. Then, add soy sauce, Chinese rice wine, and ground pepper. 
5. Add half a cup of water and stir to make it even.
6. Next, cover the pan and lower the heat. Allow the chicken to continue cooking for roughly 10 minutes or until the meat is tender and the sauce has thickened. 
7. Plate it and have it with rice.

Ginger Fried Rice

Ginger is a superfood that is very important for confinement, even considered to be one of the best natural ingredients during this period. It helps with colds, reduces inflammation, improves blood circulation, and many more, which is why it is so commonly included in confinement dishes. Well, here’s one that is the easiest dish to make among the 5 recipes here.

1. Clean the ingredients (ginger).
2. Cook rice with a rice cooker to be added towards the end.
3. Heat up a pan and add sesame oil. Throw in some sliced ginger and stir fry until fragrant or crispy.
4. Break some eggs into the pan and add a dash of salt and pepper to taste. 
5. Stir the rice in and mix together with all the ingredients. 
6. Then, add a little light soy sauce and sugar, and continue to mix. Once the ingredients have been mixed well with the rice, it is ready to be eaten.

Optional step

7. Sprinkle some green onion to finish to add some colour and flavour.

Green Papaya Fish Soup

Fish and fruit in one dish. How much healthier does it get? Aside from being nourishing and refreshing, the Chinese believe that green papaya fish soup is good for breastfeeding mothers as it boosts milk production. So, not only is it good for mummy, it benefits baby too. This recipe may be more difficult to make, depending on how the ingredients are prepared (e.g.: needing to descale fish). However, it is still fairly easy to make.

1. Clean the ingredients (fish, red dates, ginger, green papaya).
2. Prepare the fish, whether you’re using fish head, fish tail, or fish slices. 
3. Remove the seeds from papaya (if you bought the whole fruit) and cut it to bite size.
4. Add water to a pot and bring it to a boil. 
5. Add all the ingredients and let them boil for a bit before lowering down the heat and letting it simmer for 30 minutes.
6. Turn off the heat. Add a little salt for seasoning and a few drops of sesame oil, and it’s ready.

Red Dates Tea

How can we forget about drinks? 

Red dates tea is a drink good for pre-pregnancy, during pregnancy, and postpartum. It is said to rejuvenate skin and restore energy or “qi”, which the body loses after childbirth. So, this drink is drunk daily for this purpose. But no need to fret, because it is absolutely no chore at all to make it.

1. Rinse the dates.
2. Use scissors to make a few small cuts on each date to allow more flavour to come through.
3. Put the dates in a saucepan and add water.
4. Bring it to a boil and then keep the heat on low while letting it simmer for one hour.
5. Have the tea warm with or without the red dates. 

As you should be resting after childbirth, you should get a Singapore confinement lady to prepare these dishes and care for you while you recover. For a mom confinement nanny Singapore will be a great help. Here with PEM Confinement Nanny Agency, our nannies have you covered, from preparing daily confinement meals for you to taking care of your little one and even helping with some house chores. And if you wish for a more private confinement period, you could get a part time nanny Singapore who will carry out her duties during the day and leave you to your privacy in the evenings. It is all up to you. So what are you waiting for? Hop on over now!