Recipe
The 3am plate
I built this one for shift workers, and it's the recipe I'm proudest of because hardly anyone cooks for that problem. At 3am you're not hungry the normal way. You need something warm and real, but if you eat heavy you'll lie awake at 8am with your body wondering what's going on.
So this is deliberately low in fat. Fat is what slows digestion and sits on your chest when you're trying to sleep in daylight. Protein and easy carbs, warm, gentle, done.
What you need
Ingredients
- 1 cooked chicken breast or thigh, sliced (leftovers are ideal)
- 1 cup cooked rice
- Two handfuls of greens (bok choy, spinach, whatever)
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- A thumb of ginger, grated
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 cup hot water or stock
- Spring onion, to finish
How
Method
Put the ginger, garlic, soy and hot water in a small pan and bring it to a gentle simmer. Two minutes is enough.
Add the greens and let them soften for a minute.
Add the rice and chicken just to warm through. You're not cooking them again.
Into a bowl, spring onion on top. Eat it slowly.
Worth knowing
Notes and swaps
- Make it at home before your shift and reheat it. It survives a microwave.
- Keep it moderate. A smaller portion at 3am sleeps better than a big one.
- Skip the chilli, however tempting. It's the other thing that keeps you awake.
More like this
The 4-week meal plan
Four weeks of breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks, built on fibre and protein, nothing from a health food shop, nothing you need a scale for. Plus a new recipe whenever I have one worth sending.