Simple Recipes for the Confinement Period

Confinement period is very important for a woman, and she should take special care of her diet during this time. A healthy and nutritious diet will help her body heal naturally and quickly. Is finding a good confinement food recipe difficult for you? If that’s the case, fret not! Below, we have compiled some of the tastiest food recipes you can easily make in your kitchen! In case you are wondering, yes, they are also breastfeeding-friendly and lactation-boosting!

Stewed Pork with Vinegar

Pork is rich in protein and is a great ingredient to include in your meals.

Ingredients

• 450g pork knuckles
• 450g pig trotters
• 450g whole gingers
• 200g palm sugar
• 650ml black vinegar
• 8 cups water
• 1 cup raw peanuts, shelled
• 4 tbsp. Sesame oil

Method

• Boil about 8 cups of water and add black vinegar, ginger and sugar in it. Let it simmer for about an hour. Once done, keep this stew overnight.
• In another bowl, boil pork trotters and knuckles and discard the remaining water
• In the third bowl, heat some sesame oil, add in the sliced ginger, sauté for 2 minutes. Add to it the pork mixture, and cook until it changes color.
• Once the pork mixture is done, add in the vinegar stew to it, and top with shelled peanuts.

Sweet Potatoes and Ginger Tea

The most important and the main ingredient here is ginger.

Ingredients

• 2 large sweet potatoes, washed, peeled and chopped
• 45g ginger
• Handful of red dates
• ½ cup dried longans
• 2 tbsp. Palm sugar
• 5 cups water

Method

• This is a one pot dish. Add all the ingredients in a pot, and let is simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes become soft.
• Add sugar

Papaya Lotus Soup

Ingredients

• 2 large garlic cloves, crushed
• 3 lotus roots, washed and peeled
• 300g pork ribs, washed and chopped
• 300g papaya, chopped
• 200g raw peanuts
• Handful of red dates
• 2 tbsp. Light soy sauce
• 8 cups water

Method

• Boil 8 cups of water and add to it garlic, lotus root, pork ribs, papaya, peanuts, and red dates and cook for 2 hours.
• Add light soya sauce before serving

Chicken Soup

Chicken stew is yet another important recipe for the confinement period. Try this easy and delicious recipe and feel refreshed and energetic.

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken leg (with drumstick)
• 1 tbsp coarse salt
• 2 slices Angelica Sinensis (Dang Gui)
• 1 tsp wolfberries
• 2 pieces Sze Chuan lovage

Method

• Rinse the chicken leg and get rid of the fats
• Marinate the leg with salt
• Insert Angelica Sinensis and Sze Chuan lovage in between the skin and meat.
• Keep it aside to marinate for about 2 hours
• Steam the chicken over medium fire until cooked

Ginger Fried Rice

Ingredients

• 200g cooked rice
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 80g ginger, shredded
• 2 tbsp. sesame oil
• Dash of salt
• Dash of light soy sauce

Method

• Heat the sesame oil, and add ginger to it
• Saute for 1 minute
• Add in beaten eggs, and stir fry until cooked
• Add in rice, and salt. Stir fry over high heat until all the ingredients are combined together

Traditional 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.

Ingredients

• 450g pork knuckles
• 450g pig trotters
• 450g whole gingers
• 200g palm sugar
• 650ml black vinegar
• 8 cups water
• 1 cup raw peanuts, shelled
• 4 tbsp. Sesame oil

Method

• Boil about 8 cups of water and add black vinegar, ginger, and sugar. Let it simmer for about an hour. Once done, keep this stew overnight.
• In another bowl, boil pork trotters and knuckles and discard the remaining water
• In the third bowl, heat some sesame oil. Add the sliced ginger and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the pork mixture and cook until it changes color.
• Once the pork mixture is done, add the vinegar stew to it and top it with shelled peanuts.

Optional step

• Make and peel hard boiled eggs and add them to the pot 15 minutes before it is complete.
• 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.

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 the mummy, but it benefits the 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.

• Clean the ingredients (fish, red dates, ginger, green papaya).
• Prepare the fish, whether you’re using fish head, fish tail, or fish slices. 
• Remove the seeds from the papaya (if you bought the whole fruit) and cut it to bite size.
• Add water to a pot and bring it to a boil. 
• Add all the ingredients and let them boil for a bit before lowering the heat and simmering for 30 minutes.
• 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.

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

Fusion Colourful Salad

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp of white wine vinegar
• A pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper
• A quarter cup of extra-virgin olive oil
  
• 6 fresh corns
  
• 2 cups of tomato cherries
  
• 8 ounces of fresh mozzarella
  
• 1 bunch of scallions
  
• 1½ cup of fresh basil leaves

Preparations:

• Whisk together the vinegar, salt, and pepper in a bowl while gradually adding in the oil.
• Shear off the corn kernels in a bowl. Toss in the tomatoes, mozzarella, and scallions.
• Pour the whisked dressing over the salad and toss to coat evenly. Let stand for at least 15 minutes.
• Tear the basil leaves over the salad and toss before serving!

Baked Salmon

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces of salmon fillet, cut into 4 pieces
  
• Coarse-grained salt
  
• Freshly ground black pepper 

Preparations:

• Preheat the oven to around 230°C
• Season salmon with salt and pepper
• Place salmon with the skin side down on a non-stick baking sheet. Bake until it is cooked through for about 12 to 15 minutes. Best served with squash.

Lentil soup

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp of olive oil
  
• 1 cup of finely chopped onion
  
• (½) cup of finely chopped carrot
  
• (½) cup of chopped celery
• 2 tsp of kosher salt
  
• 1 pound of lentils, picked and rinsed
  
• 1 cup of peeled and chopped tomatoes
  
• 2 quarts of chicken or vegetable broth
  
• (½) tsp of freshly ground coriander
  
• (½) tsp of freshly ground toasted cumin
  
• (½) tsp of freshly ground grains of paradise

Preparations:

• Place the olive oil into a large 6-quart Dutch oven and set over medium heat
• Once hot, add the onion, carrot, celery, and salt. Once the onions are translucent after about 7 minutes, add the lentils, tomatoes, broth, coriander, cumin, and grains of paradise. Stir evenly.
• Increase the heat to high and bring just to a boil.
• Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook at a low simmer until the lentils are tender for about 40 minutes. Puree to your preferred consistency. Serve immediately.

Chia Seed Pudding

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of vanilla-flavoured unsweetened almond milk
  
• 1 cup of plain low-fat Greek vegan yoghurt
  
• 2 tbsp of pure maple syrup, plus another 4 tsp for serving
  
• 1 tsp of pure vanilla extract
  
• Kosher salt
  
• ¼ cup of chia seeds
  
• 1 pint of strawberries, hulled and chopped
  
• ¼ cup of sliced almonds, toasted

Preparations:

• In a medium-sized bowl, gently whisk the almond milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt until just blended. 
• Add in chia seeds and let stand for 30 minutes. Stir to distribute the seeds evenly.
• Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• The next day, toss the berries in with the remaining maple syrup. Mix the almonds in and serve.

Roasted carrots

Ingredients:

• 12 carrots
• 3 tbsp of olive oil
  
• 1(¼) tsp of kosher salt
  
• ½ tsp of freshly ground black pepper
  
• 2 tbsp of minced parsley

Preparations:

• Preheat the oven to 205°C
• Cut the carrots into haves lengthwise and cut diagonally into 1½-inch-thick slices.
• Toss them in a bowl with olive oil, salt, and pepper
• Transfer to a sheet pan in one even layer and roast in the oven for about 20 minutes until they turn browned and tender.
• Toss the carrots with minced parsley and serve!

Credit: Food Network

All the confinement food recipes are tasty and very healthy for you. If you want to ensure that your meals are well taken care of, get some help from an expert! The cost of hiring a confinement nanny in Singapore to prepare these meals for you is definitely worth it.

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!