As spring awakens, all things revive, and vegetables and fruits grow exceptionally well. Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes eating with the season, so what should we eat in spring? And how to make it more delicious?
Cilantro Salad
Spring requires eating the "Four Fragrances"
Toon (Chinese Toon)
Toon is known as the "vegetable from the tree." Every spring around Grain Rain, the tender buds that sprout from the toon tree are pinched off. A plate of scrambled eggs with toon is the best healthy home-cooked dish. Toon has a bitter taste and a cold nature, with effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, strengthening the stomach, and regulating qi. Its aromatic taste can awaken the spleen and whet the appetite. Toon contains nutrients such as calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin E, as well as volatile aromatic organic compounds like toonin, which can strengthen the spleen, whet the appetite, and increase appetite. It should be noted that toon has a high content of nitrates and nitrites. Whether in a cold salad or stir-fried, it should be blanched first to improve safety.
Cilantro
Cilantro, also known as coriander, is an indispensable vegetable on many people's tables. Sprinkling it over prepared dishes or fresh soups always adds the finishing touch. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that cilantro is warm in nature and sweet in taste, able to strengthen the stomach and aid digestion, promote urination and bowel movements, and has the effects of inducing sweat to bring out rashes, resolving food stagnation, and descending qi. It is suitable for colds, indigestion, and other conditions. Eating cilantro in spring can dispel cold qi, making it especially suitable during the chilly early spring. However, cilantro is pungent. Eating too much or for a long time can consume qi and damage the spirit, leading to or aggravating qi deficiency. People who often catch colds (respiratory department) who eat too much cilantro will catch colds more frequently. People who regularly take supplements should not eat cilantro to avoid reducing the efficacy of the supplements.
Scallions
Spring is the season for scallions. Unlike green onions, they have short white stems and more green leaves. They are not as spicy as green onions when eaten raw, and dipping them in some broad bean paste is incredibly delicious. The scallion element contained in small scallions has a bactericidal effect and can soften blood vessels, helping to lower blood lipids. The scallion oil made from scallions not only removes fishy and greasy odors from dishes but can also stimulate digestive juice secretion and increase appetite.
Shiitake Mushrooms
Shiitake mushrooms are rich in plant protein, polysaccharides, amino acids, and vitamins. The shiitake polysaccharides in them can effectively inhibit malignant tumors and improve the body's immunity. In addition, in spring, human metabolism is more vigorous and blood circulation accelerates. For children, it's a good time to grow taller, requiring a large amount of vitamin D, which is abundant in shiitake mushrooms. It should be noted that after sun exposure, the vitamin D content in shiitake mushrooms is even higher.
A few recipes to help you
As mentioned above, we should eat the "Four Fragrances" in spring. But many friends will ask, how can we eat these vegetables healthily? Below, we will introduce how to prepare these vegetables:
Scrambled Eggs with Toon
Toon and Egg Scramble
Ingredients: Toon, eggs, salt, monosodium glutamate
Method: First, chop the toon into small pieces. Beat the eggs into a bowl, then add the chopped toon, salt, and monosodium glutamate, and mix well. Then, heat oil in a wok until hot, add the mixed toon and egg mixture, and stir-fry for two to three minutes before serving.
Cilantro Steamed Pork Ribs with Potato
Ingredients: 500g pork ribs, potatoes, appropriate amount of rice flour, 1 spoon of broad bean paste, 3 green onion stalks, about 10 Sichuan peppercorns, 2g of five-spice powder, 5g of cooking wine, 5g of soy sauce, a handful of sugar, fine salt, 1 spoon of fresh stock, 3g of oil, 3 cilantro stalks
Method: First, wash the ribs and cut them into 4.5 cm long sections. Cut the potatoes into small pieces and the cilantro into small pieces for later use. Then, marinate the ribs with fine salt, broad bean paste, monosodium glutamate, soy sauce, five-spice powder, Sichuan peppercorns, cooking wine, fresh stock, and sugar for 10 minutes. Mix in the rice flour and oil. Finally, take a basin, place the potatoes at the bottom, then spread the marinated ribs on top. Steam in a steamer for 1 hour, then sprinkle with cilantro before serving.
Braised Pig's Trotters with Scallions
Ingredients: 50g scallions, 4 pig's trotters, appropriate amount of salt.
Method: Pluck and wash the pig's trotters, and make a few cuts on them with a knife. Cut the scallions into sections and place them in the pot with the trotters. Add an appropriate amount of water and a little salt. First, bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat until the trotters are tender and well-done.
Braised Tofu with Shiitake Mushrooms
Ingredients: 300g tofu, 50g lean pork, 8 shiitake mushrooms, 2 red chilies, scallions, ginger, garlic, salt, dark soy sauce, Sichuan peppercorn powder, sugar, monosodium glutamate, vegetable oil
Method: Cut the tofu into rectangular slices and pan-fry them until golden brown on both sides. Remove the stems from the shiitake mushrooms and cut them into quarters. Slice the ginger and garlic, and shred the lean pork. Heat an appropriate amount of vegetable oil in a wok. Add the shredded pork and stir-fry until it separates. Add the scallions, ginger, and garlic and stir-fry until fragrant. Add the tofu slices and stir-fry. Add the red chilies and shiitake mushroom pieces. Add salt, sugar, Sichuan peppercorn powder, and dark soy sauce. Add a bowl of water, cover, and simmer over low heat until the sauce thickens. Add a little monosodium glutamate, stir, and serve.
Salad coriander
Scorch