Introduction: As early winter arrives and temperatures drop, all things enter a state of dormancy and vitality declines, making it an ideal season for nourishment. Moreover, people are increasingly recognizing the principle that "nourishment from food is better than from medicine." Therefore, in winter diet planning, one can include more rich and hearty foods such as stewed meat, stewed fish, and hot pot. Additionally, the appropriate intake of "white" foods also has therapeutic benefits for winter nourishment.
Garlic-flavored Water Chestnut
During the dry winter, people are prone to colds, fever, and coughs. Garlic-flavored water chestnut is an excellent therapeutic food for clearing heat and resolving phlegm.
Ingredients: 150g fresh water chestnuts, 3 cloves of garlic, salt, sugar, vinegar, sesame oil as needed.
Method: Wash the water chestnuts, peel them, and slice them thinly. Soak them in light salt water for 10 minutes, then drain and place them in a dish. Sprinkle with salt and marinate for 15 minutes, then drain the salt water. Peel and wash the garlic, finely chop it, and sprinkle it over the water chestnut slices. Place a pot on the stove, add sugar and vinegar, and let the sugar dissolve. Pour the mixture over the water chestnut slices, immediately cover with a bowl, and after 10 minutes, add sesame oil and mix well before serving.
Effects: Clears heat, resolves phlegm, promotes fluid production, and promotes urination. Suitable for fever, cough, dry mouth, thirst, excessive phlegm, and dark urine.
Water chestnut, also known as马蹄 (mati), has a sweet and cold nature. It has the effects of clearing heat, promoting fluid production, promoting urination, and resolving phlegm. It is suitable for conditions like fever and thirst, cough with excessive phlegm. Modern medicine has also confirmed that the components in water chestnuts have antibacterial properties. Furthermore, water chestnuts also have anti-cancer and blood pressure-lowering effects.
Five-Element Nourishing Chicken
Ingredients: 1 hen, 30g longan pulp, 30g lychee pulp, 30g black dates, 30g lotus seeds, 30g goji berries, 30g rock sugar, cooking wine, salt, scallions, ginger as needed.
Method: Clean the chicken thoroughly. Wash the longan pulp, lychee pulp, and lotus seeds. Wash the black dates and remove the pits. Place the longan pulp, lychee pulp, lotus seeds, black dates, goji berries, and rock sugar into the chicken's cavity. Put the chicken in a pot, add cooking wine, salt, scallions, and ginger. Steam in a steamer for 2 hours until tender and cooked through, then it is ready to eat.
Effects: Tonifies Qi and essence, nourishes blood and Yin. Suitable for individuals with weak Qi and blood, or those convalescing from illness. Consuming it can increase nutrition, improve appetite, and strengthen the body.
"Sui Xi Ju Yin Shi Pu" (Dietary Treatise from Sui Xi Ju): "Chicken tonifies deficiency, warms the stomach, strengthens muscles and bones, invigorates blood, regulates menstruation, supports carbuncles and sores, stops uterine bleeding and leucorrhea, and treats frequent urination, especially postpartum weakness." Lotus seeds tonify the spleen, nourish the heart, and benefit the kidneys. Lychee pulp promotes fluid production, nourishes blood, and regulates Qi. Black dates strengthen the spleen, tonify Qi, and harmonize the stomach. Goji berries tonify the liver and kidneys. Longan pulp benefits the heart and spleen, tonifies Qi and blood, and calms the spirit. When all these ingredients are cooked together, they form the Five-Element Nourishing Chicken, which has the function of tonifying the five organs and benefiting Qi and blood, making it an excellent dish for nourishment and strengthening the body.
Stir-fried Fish Fillets with Chinese Yam
Ingredients: 250g grass carp fillet, 150g fresh Chinese yam, cornstarch, cooking wine, scallions, ginger, salt, oil as needed.
Method: Wash the grass carp fillet and slice it. Mix with cornstarch. Wash the fresh Chinese yam and slice it. Heat oil in a wok, sauté the scallion and ginger until fragrant, then add the fish and yam slices and stir-fry. Add cooking wine, scallions, ginger, and salt and cook until done.
Effects: Strengthens the spleen and tonifies Qi. Suitable for those with a weak spleen, poor appetite, or loose stools and diarrhea.
Chinese yam has the effect of strengthening the spleen to stop diarrhea and tonifying the kidneys. Paired with grass carp, it enhances the spleen-strengthening and Qi-tonifying effect. This dish is delicious, tender, and has good health benefits.
"White Foods" - Clever Consumption for Double the Nutrition
There are many common white foods, but did you know which part of them is the most nutritious? How should you eat pears to get therapeutic benefits?
The outer leaves of napa cabbage are the most nutritious—Winter is the best season to eat napa cabbage. When eating it, people often wonder whether to keep or discard the outer leaves. In fact, the outer leaves of napa cabbage contain nutrients like chlorophyll and dietary fiber, which are far higher than the inner leaves and the core.
Autumn pears are more effective when cooked—Pears have the effect of promoting fluid production to moisten dryness, clearing heat, and resolving phlegm. When you have a cough with phlegm-heat, or a dry cough due to Yin deficiency, hemoptysis, feverish thirst from an illness, or constipation, don't forget to eat pears. There are many ways to eat pears, and the key is cleverness. Here are two therapeutic recipes:
Recipe 1: 1 fresh pear, insert 15 cloves of丁香 (dingxiang) into it. Place the pear in a steamer and steam until cooked. Eat the fruit.Effects: Harmonizes the stomach and descends rebellious Qi. Suitable for vomiting and inability to keep down food or medicine.
Recipe 2: 1 fresh pear, peel and core, slice and soak in vinegar. Let it sit for 6 hours and finish eating it in one day.Effects: Clears the liver and reduces jaundice. Suitable for jaundice.