Anonymous asked:
what would the nations "sick" foods be? sick foods being dishes that are fed to ill people because they are easy on the body and healthy. in the USA chicken soup is a classic.
atlaculture answered:
This sounds like this would be an interesting post series! I’ll do one post per nation.
Fire Nation
1. Rice Porridge
Rice porridge would probably be the first “sick food” of choice for both the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom; it’s the dish that Iroh made for Zuko in Ba Sing Se, where he referred to it by its Cantonese name of jook (粥).
Ultimately, rice porridge is just rice that has been boiled until the grains break down and it gets mushy. It’s often eaten for breakfast or when ill because the texture and mild flavor are seen as ideal for digestion. It’s also a very customizable dish, so I do think the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation versions would be quite different from one another.
Since Iroh uses the term “jook” for rice porridge, I’m going to assume that Fire Nation rice porridge is done Cantonese-style, using jasmine rice. Personally, I think what Iroh served Zuko resembled a simple and soothing bowl of chicken jook. However, the most popular “get-well” Cantonese porridge is “Century Egg & Pork Jook” (皮蛋瘦肉粥). Pork and “century egg” (alkaline-preserved egg) are rich in iron and ideal for those who’ve experienced blood loss or anemia. After a long shift at work, I used to always get this meal from my local Cantonese restaurant. When it comes to Cantonese food, my favorite culinary resource is the “Cooking with Lau” YouTube channel and website.
A rice porridge that would be commonly eaten on Ember Island would be jok/โจ๊ก (Thai rice porridge); this porridge is typically made with broken jasmine rice, giving it a texture that’s silkier than its creamier Cantonese cousin. It also tends to be more “loaded” with toppings and possesses a more herbaceous flavor-profile.
2. Rice Soup
Similar to rice porridge, rice soup is a popular “sick food” due to do its ease of digestion. However, it’s made by adding already cooked rice to a soup, rather than by “overboiling” uncooked rice. The most popular of these sick-day soups is khao tom (ข้าวต้ม), a Thai soup made with a flavorful broth, whole rice grains, and your protein of choice.
3. Rice Noodle
Finally, Lao rice noodle soup or khao piak sen (ເຂົ້າປຽກເສັ້ນ) is one of my favorite comfort foods. The broth is usually made from pork or chicken stock and simmered with lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves. The noodles are thick and chewy, similar in texture to udon. They’re made by adding hot water to a mixture of rice flour and tapioca starch, which gelatinizes the starches in the dough, resulting in a soft and springy noodle. This “flour scalding” technique is also used for Japanese shokupan bread and Chinese steamed buns.
Overall, if you’re feeling unwell in the Fire Nation, you’re probably going to be eating some variation of soggy rice.
