Recommended Recipes for the Beginning of Autumn
Rehmannia Congee:
[Ingredients] 25g fresh Rehmannia root, 75g rice, a little sugar.
[Method] For the fresh Rehmannia root, wash and chop it finely. Boil it in an appropriate amount of water over a flame for about 30 minutes. Decant the medicinal liquid, then boil it again a second time. Combine the two medicinal liquids and reduce them to 100ml, then set aside. Wash the rice and cook it into plain congee. While hot, add the Rehmannia juice, stir well, and add an appropriate amount of sugar to taste before serving.
[Effects] Nourishes yin and benefits the stomach, cools the blood and promotes fluid production. This recipe can also be used as a dietary dish for those with tuberculosis or diabetes.
Huangjing Braised Pork Knuckle:
[Ingredients] 9g Huangjing (Polygonatum sibiricum), 9g Dangshen (Codonopsis pilosula), 5 red dates, 750g pork knuckle, 15g ginger, an appropriate amount of spring onion.
[Method] Slice the Huangjing thinly, cut the Dangshen into short sections, place them in a gauze bag, and tie it closed. Wash the red dates and set aside. Scrape and clean the pork knuckle, then blanch it in boiling water to remove blood, and set aside. Wash the ginger and spring onion and smash them.
Place all the ingredients in a clay pot, add an appropriate amount of water, bring to a boil over high heat, skim off any foam, then reduce to low heat and continue to simmer until the liquid is thick and the knuckle is tender. Remove the medicinal bag, and serve the knuckle, soup, and red dates in a bowl.
[Effects] Tones the spleen and moistens the lungs. Particularly suitable for those with a weak spleen and stomach, poor appetite, lung deficiency with cough, or general weakness after illness.
Colorful Honeyed Fruit Balls
[Ingredients] 1 apple, 1 pear, half a pineapple, 10 bayberries, 10 water chestnuts, 1 lemon, an appropriate amount of sugar.
[Method] Wash, peel, and use a melon baller to scoop the apple, pear, and pineapple into balls. Wash, peel, and set aside the water chestnuts. Wash the bayberries and set aside. Dissolve sugar in 50ml of water in a pan, heat until dissolved, let it cool, then add lemon juice. Arrange the five fruits in a pattern of your choice. When ready to eat, pour the syrup over the fruits.
[Effects] Promotes the production of fluids to quench thirst, harmonizes the stomach and aids digestion.
Vinegar and Pepper Fish
[Ingredients] 1 yellow croaker, coriander, spring onion, ginger, white pepper, yellow wine, sesame oil, MSG, fresh stock, white vinegar, salt, vegetable oil.
[Method] Clean the yellow croaker and make crosswise cuts on both sides, then set aside. Wash and shred the spring onion and ginger. Heat oil in a wok, pan-fry the fish on both sides until golden, then remove and drain. Add a small amount of oil to the wok, heat, then briefly stir-fry the white pepper and ginger. Add the fresh stock, wine, salt, and the fish. Bring to a boil and cook until the fish is done. Remove the fish and place it in a deep plate. Scatter shredded spring onion and coriander over it. Bring the remaining liquid in the wok to a boil, add white vinegar, MSG, and sesame oil, stir well, and pour over the fish.
[Effects] Strengthens the spleen and whets the appetite, nourishes essence, and replenishes qi.