Recipe

Ingredients

• Congee (Lau, Tam et al. 2016, Gabbay, Fins et al. 2021, Ng and Lui 2022)
• Pork belly
• Chillies
• Spring onions

Instructions

1. The congee had previously been cooked in a pressure cooker and this portion had frozen in a vacuum bag.
2. The pork belly had been cooked in a pressure cooker and then frozen in a vacuum bag.
3. Boil some water in a large saucepan and place the bags into the water. Heat the bags in the boiling water for ten minutes.
4. Transfer the congee to a bowl.
5. Transfer the pork belly into the bowl on the congee.
6. Slice a chilli and a spring onion and garnish the meal.
7. Add some soy sauce for taste.
8. Give thanks to the Lord.
9. Eat with a spoon.

Photographs

References

Gabbay, E., et al. (2021). “Congee for the Soul.” Hastings Cent Rep 51(1): 10-12.

Provision of adequate nutrition to elderly patients who develop dysphagia after a stroke can be quite challenging, often leading to the placement of a percutaneous entero-gastrostomy (PEG) tube for nutritional support. This hypothetical case describes the additional challenge of cross-cultural belief that leads a daughter to provide oral feeding to her mother, an act that the medical team believes is dangerous and the daughter sees as salubrious. In this case, what is the proper balance between patient safety and deference to cultural traditions and norms? Where are the limits? Two commentaries offer insights for conflict resolution, including recommending that the medical team seek to understand the cultural motivations of the family, balancing safety and respect for cultural norms. The second commentary also disagrees with the team’s presumption that the daughter’s feeding of her mother is a greater threat to the patient than the PEG tube feeding is.

Lau, E. Y., et al. (2016). “Importance of clothing removal in scalds.” Hong Kong Med J 22(2): 152-157.

OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that prompt removal of clothing after scalds lessens the severity of injury. METHODS: This experimental study and case series was carried out in the Burn Centre of a tertiary hospital in Hong Kong. An experimental burn model using Allevyn (Smith & Nephew Medical Limited, Hull, England) as a skin substitute was designed to test the effect of delayed clothing removal on skin temperature using hot water and congee. Data of patients admitted with scalding by congee over a 10-year period (January 2005 to December 2014) were also studied. RESULTS: A significant reduction in the temperature of the skin model following a hot water scald was detected only if clothing was removed within the first 10 seconds of injury. With congee scalds, the temperature of the skin model progressively increased with further delay in clothing removal. During the study period, 35 patients were admitted with congee scalds to our unit via the emergency department. The majority were children. Definite conclusions supporting the importance of clothing removal could not be drawn due to our small sample size. Nonetheless, our data suggest that appropriate prehospital burn management can reduce patient morbidity. CONCLUSIONS: Prompt removal of clothing after scalding by congee may reduce post-burn morbidity.

Ng, M. L. and H. Y. Lui (2022). “Rice congee as an alternative to thickened liquids for patients with swallowing disorders.” J Texture Stud 53(3): 405-416.

Seeing the popularity of rice congee consumption among Asian families, the present study examined the possibility of preparing thickened liquids from rice congee of different consistency levels that are commonly prescribed for individuals with swallowing disorders. The two most common rice varieties in Hong Kong, indica and japonica rice grains, were used to prepare rice congee from which thickened liquids were extracted. By varying the water-to-rice ratio, cooking time, optional reheating on a frying pan, and temperature, slightly thick, mildly thick, moderately thick, and extremely thick liquids were obtained. Recipes for extracting thickened liquids of different consistencies from rice congee cooked with indica and japonica rice grains were established. The consistency levels were defined with reference to although not strictly following the International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative framework. Results revealed that the consistency of the product varied with water-to-rice ratio, cooking time, and temperature. Recipes were established for preparing thickened liquids using rice grains at both serving and room temperatures. Findings support that thickened liquids so obtained can be used as an alternative to thickened liquids preparing using commercial thickeners.