Our traditional diet emphasizes the principle that "five grains are nutritious, but their balance is lost without beans," meaning that while grains are nourishing, the absence of beans disrupts this balance. Modern nutrition science also confirms that daily consumption of beans can reduce body fat, boost immunity, and lower the risk of illness.
Red Bean and Coix Seed Congee
Red beans nourish the heart.
Red beans are rich in dietary fiber and are beneficial for promoting bowel regularity, lowering blood pressure, reducing blood lipids, and regulating blood sugar.
Recommended Dish—Red Bean and Coix Seed Congee
Main ingredients: 100g coix seed, 25g dried red dates, 50g adzuki beans, 10g agrimony, 30g sugar.
Instructions: 1. Soak the coix seed and adzuki beans in warm water for half a day. Remove the pits from the red dates and soak them. 2. Wrap the agrimony in a gauze cloth. Place the coix seed, adzuki beans, agrimony, and red dates in a pot together. 3. Add water and cook into a thin congee. Sprinkle with sugar to taste.
Benefits: A food for nourishing the lungs and regulating blood stasis.
Mung beans nourish the liver.
Mung beans are sweet and cool in nature, and are a common remedy for clearing heat and detoxifying. Regular consumption helps expel toxins from the body and promotes normal metabolism. Mung beans can lower cholesterol and have liver-protecting and anti-allergic effects. Adding honey to mung bean soup enhances its detoxifying properties.
Creamy Mung Bean Cake
Recommended Dish—Mung Bean Cake
Ingredients: 200g peeled mung beans, 100g sugar, 10g vegetable oil, 20g maltose.
Instructions: 1. Soak the mung beans overnight, then steam them until slightly cool. Blend them into a paste in a food processor. Add sugar and mix well. Then mix in the vegetable oil and maltose to form a dough. Divide into about 20 portions and fill with bean paste. 2. Press firmly with a mooncake mold. After making, place in a steamer with boiling water and steam on low heat for 4-5 minutes. 3. Let it cool and then refrigerate.
Benefits: Has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, quenching thirst and relieving summer heat, promoting urination, and moisturizing the skin.
Soybeans nourish the spleen.
Soybeans are rich in saponins, which can stimulate the secretion of bile acids that digest fats, thereby aiding digestion and absorption. The color of soybeans corresponds to the spleen in traditional theory; they can strengthen the spleen, relieve middle-jiao stagnation, replenish qi, and address deficiency. Regular consumption also helps delay aging and is suitable for those with a sallow complexion and a weak body.
Recommended Dish—Braised Pork Trotters with Soybeans
Ingredients: Pork trotters, soybeans, brown sugar, braising soy sauce, cooking wine, scallions, ginger, star anise, cinnamon, salt, chicken essence.
Braised Pork Trotters with Soybeans
Instructions: 1. Soak the soybeans for 5 hours. 2. Boil the pork trotters in water, then discard the water. Boil them again in fresh water and discard the water again. (This step removes scum and odor). 3. In a pressure cooker, add the pork trotters and soybeans, along with an appropriate amount of braising soy sauce, brown sugar, cooking wine, star anise, cinnamon, scallions, and ginger. Add enough water to cover the trotters. 4. Bring to a boil over high heat in the pressure cooker, then cook on low heat for about 20 minutes. After releasing the pressure, add a small spoonful of salt, simmer over high heat, and then serve.
Benefits: Has the effects of nourishing blood and promoting lactation, beautifying the skin, replenishing qi and harmonizing the middle, and promoting the production of body fluids and moistening dryness.
White beans nourish the lungs.
White kidney beans contain components like saponins, urease, and various globulins. They can enhance the human immune system, activate lymph T-cells, and promote DNA synthesis, making them very effective in preventing the onset and recurrence of respiratory diseases.
Recommended Dish—Kidney Bean and Pork Rib Soup
Ingredients: 150g kidney beans, 110g pork ribs, 1 slice of ginger, a little cilantro, 1 small spoonful of salt, 1/2 small spoonful of pepper, 1/4 small spoonful of sesame oil.
Kidney Bean, Lotus Root, and Corn Pork Rib Soup
Instructions: 1. Wash the kidney beans, ginger, and cilantro (chop the cilantro). Wash the pork ribs and blanch them in boiling water, then remove. 2. Pour 3 cups of water into a pot and bring to a boil. Add the ginger and pork ribs and cook until tender. Add the kidney beans and cook for about 10 minutes.
Benefits: This soup has the functions of warming the middle jiao and directing qi downward, benefiting the intestines, and nourishing the kidneys and replenishing the origin.
Butter, green bean cake
The soybeans, the cornbone soup
Soybean pig hoof
Lemon chili cake