What seasonings do people usually use when stewing meat? Some might say, "Of course, it's the spice packet made with bay leaves, cinnamon, star anise, and other spices!" That's right, these are the most basic seasonings to make meat more delicious. There's another seasoning that not only makes meat more flavorful and tender but also helps lower blood pressure, reduce blood sugar, and aid digestion. This seasoning is hawthorn.
Hawthorn and Lotus Seed Lily Porridge
Strictly speaking, hawthorn is a fruit with a sweet and sour taste. It can not only be used for stewing meat but also for making soups, making them more savory. In addition, it's most commonly made into snacks like candied hawthorns, hawthorn cakes, and hawthorn slices. Although it has many uses, people often only see it as a food and overlook that hawthorn is also a medicinal herb.
1. Hawthorn can lower lipids, blood pressure, and has antioxidant effects while enhancing human immunity. It also clears harmful bacteria from the gastrointestinal tract and prevents liver cancer. For people with fatty liver, hawthorn is the first recommendation for nourishing and protecting the liver.
2. Hawthorn can lower serum cholesterol and triglycerides, effectively preventing arteriosclerosis. It can also act as a heart tonic and prevent angina by enhancing myocardial contractility, increasing cardiac output, dilating coronary arteries, increasing coronary blood flow, and reducing myocardial oxygen consumption.
3. Hawthorn is a powerful weight loss tool for women. It is rich in substances like vitamin C and carotene, which can effectively block and reduce the production of free radicals, enhance the body's immunity, and has a powerful effect on anti-aging and weight loss.
4. Hawthorn can prevent diabetic complications such as cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Because of its effects of aiding digestion and lowering blood lipids, hawthorn is very beneficial for diabetic complications like these. Therefore, middle-aged and elderly diabetic patients should consume hawthorn in moderation.
It should be noted that processed foods like hawthorn slices and hawthorn cakes contain a lot of sugar. Eating too much will keep blood sugar at a high level, reducing the feeling of hunger. Long-term, large consumption can lead to malnutrition and anemia. Therefore, diabetics can only eat fresh hawthorn fruit in moderation. Here are a few hawthorn recipes suitable for diabetics:
Hawthorn Porridge
Ingredients: 25g hawthorn, 100g rice.
Instructions:
1. Wash the hawthorn, remove the seeds and stems; wash the rice, and soak for 30 minutes.
2. Add water to a pot and bring to a boil. Add the hawthorn and rice, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer into a porridge.
Hawthorn Stewed Beef
Ingredients: 100g hawthorn, 250g lean beef, appropriate amount of chopped green onions, Sichuan peppercorn powder, salt, and chicken powder, 5g vegetable oil.
Instructions:
1. Wash the hawthorn, remove the seeds and stems; wash the lean beef, cut into pieces, and blanch in boiling water to remove blood.
2. Heat vegetable oil in a wok until seven成热, add chopped green onions and Sichuan peppercorn powder and stir until fragrant, then add the beef and stir-fry evenly.
3. Add boiling water and hawthorn, simmer over low heat until cooked, and season with salt and chicken powder.
♪ A mountain of lilies ♪