Spinach is a vegetable that is both medicinal and edible. The "Compendium of Materia Medica" states that spinach can "invigorate blood circulation, open the chest and diaphragm, promote the descent of qi, regulate the middle jiao, quench thirst and moisten dryness, with the root being especially beneficial." This shows that spinach is a rare and excellent health food! The older generation also has the custom of "eating spinach in the spring," which shows how much this small vegetable is loved by the people! Now, let's learn about the nutritional value of spinach together!
Spinach is also known as菠薐, Persian grass, red-root vegetable, and parrot's vegetable. Spinach is native to Bolingguo (present-day Nepal) and was introduced to China during the Tang Dynasty. The leaves and tender stems are eaten, the main root is well-developed, the fleshy root is red and sweet, and edible, hence the ancient name "red-beaked green parrot." Spinach is cultivated year-round, but more so in winter and spring.
Pork Liver and Spinach Soup
Chinese Health Benefits
Spinach is sweet in taste and neutral in nature. It has the effects of nourishing blood, stopping bleeding, calming the liver, and moistening dryness. It can be used for various types of bleeding, headaches, dizziness, red eyes, thirst, constipation, and hemorrhoids.
Modern Nutritional Value
1. Rich in iron, regular consumption can help in the treatment of iron-deficiency anemia.
2. Contains insulin-like substances that can help stabilize blood sugar levels in diabetic patients.
3. Rich in B vitamins, which can prevent conditions like angular cheilitis and night blindness.
4. Rich in antioxidants, which can prevent aging.
5. Contains vitamin A and carotene, which can reduce the risk of retinal degeneration in the elderly.
Dietary Recommendations and Precautions
Recommended: Cooked spinach is soft, smooth, and easy to digest. It is suitable for the general population, especially for the elderly, young, sick, and weak.
Caution: Spinach is rich in oxalic acid, which can combine with calcium to form calcium oxalate. This can easily lead to stone formation and affect the body's absorption of calcium. Therefore, people with osteoporosis, nephritis, or kidney stones should not eat too much at once. It should also not be cooked with calcium-rich foods such as beans, bean products, wood ear mushrooms, dried shrimp, kelp, or seaweed.
How to Eat
The root of spinach is sweet, so it is best to eat it along with the stems and leaves. Spinach can be stir-fried, used in soups, or used as an ingredient. Stir-fried spinach with garlic has a good "wok hei" (breath of the wok) and is crisp; spinach soup is softer and smoother. Spinach soup with ham, dried shrimp, or century egg as a base gives the spinach a rich, meaty flavor. "Wo dan" spinach (spinach with a poached egg) is made by adding a poached egg and minced lean pork to plain spinach, making it more fragrant and smooth with a light flavor. It can nourish blood and moisten dryness, making it suitable for people with a dry throat and mouth, dry skin, or those who stay up late. Pork liver and spinach soup combines iron-rich and folate-rich pork liver with spinach to help treat iron-deficiency anemia. Spinach can also be pounded into a paste and mixed with flour to make spinach buns. Cantonese people love to eat spinach, and it is an essential ingredient in hot pot in the winter.
Selected Recipe
Pork Liver and Spinach Soup
Ingredients: 150g pork liver, 250g spinach, cooking oil, salt, ginger, white sugar, cornstarch, light soy sauce as needed.
Method: Scrape off the small roots from the spinach base and wash clean. Wash the pork liver, cut into thin slices, and season with salt, sugar, light soy sauce, and cornstarch. Add an appropriate amount of water and a few slices of ginger to a pot and bring to a boil. Then add cooking oil, salt, and white sugar. Put the spinach into the boiling water, cook for 5 minutes, then add the seasoned pork liver slices. Once cooked, lift them out together and serve. The soup can be consumed.
Pig liver and spinach soup