Coix seed

Job's tears — a chewy grain-like seed used in congee and herbal-style soups.

No recipes in our library use this ingredient yet.

TCM benefits of Coix seed

薏苡仁 · yì yǐ rén

How coix seed is seen in traditional Chinese food therapy. Traditional context, not medical advice.

The Pharmacopoeia lists it as sweet, bland and cool, tied to the Spleen, Stomach and Lung. Wang Shixiong's 1861 dietary handbook calls it sweet and neutral instead.
That handbook says it can go into soups, steamed dishes, congee or rice without restriction, which matches how Cantonese kitchens use it today.
Summer soups with winter melon and lean pork or duck are the classic combination.
Pregnant women are advised to use it with caution, and reference texts say the same of anyone with dry stools.

Sources: Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2020, 薏苡仁 monograph; 隨息居飲食譜 (Wang Shixiong, 1861), 薏苡, entry; Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2020, Vol. I, 薏苡仁 (Coicis Semen)