Cloud-Ear Mushroom - For Spring Detox
By Vicky Chan of NourishU
Spring is in the air and it is time for many households to start their spring cleaning projects around their homes and gardens. Our body, after a whole winter of inactivity and over indulgence in greasy and highly dense food, should also be in great need for a good spring cleaning.
On the subject of cleansing and detoxifying our body, you may find yourself being overwhelmed by too many product advertisements in health magazines, newspapers, online newsletters and blogs and you may find it hard to decide where to start and what product to use. I think the best approach is to have a good assessment of your body condition first and then use it as a guideline to help determine your right course of action. This, together with your honest answers to how much time, money and effort that you would like to put into the exercise, are the determining factors on how successful you can be. I think it is only sensible to take a longer time and more moderate approach rather than going through some drastic regimens of extreme and punishing diets which can only kill your will power and good intension. May I suggest just changing your food choices to more healthful ones as a start which may take longer to see the effects but at least more doable and enjoyable?
Overall, if you can manage to feed yourself with more good clean and nutritional fluids such as good clean water, freshly squeezed fruits and vegetables juice and homemade broth, cut down on meat consumption, eat a little bit less and do sweat inducing exercises daily for about 45 minutes, you are on the right path to spring clean your body for better health.
On healthy food choices for detoxification, vegetables with high fiber content would be the best choice. Chive, garlic stem, daikon, bok-choy, watercress, yu-choy, collard green, kelp and seaweed are good in cleansing our stomach and digestive tract. Mushroom, beans and seeds are other good detox agents. Most mushrooms have anti-oxidant properties and are effective in fighting tumors and abnormal cell development. Beans and seeds are effective in helping the body to eliminate abnormal retention of water and waste products.
Mushrooms have a good reputation for delivering great health benefits. Most western people know about Asian shiitake mushroom and consume it regularly but they may not know about another black mushroom called cloud-ear mushroom.
Cloud-ear mushroom is smaller in size, thinner, more fragile and very different than shiitake. It is more a fungus than mushroom and the shape is like human ear. They are grown on wet tree trunks and cluster together like a stack of clouds. They are known to be very effective in cleaning the lungs, reducing plague and cholesterol. They are commonly used in Chinese home cooking because they are easily available and affordable. They are mostly sold dried therefore can be kept for a long time. They can be fully rehydrated after soaking for about 15 minutes and a little can turn into a lot so very easy and economical to use.
The mushroom itself is almost tasteless, just needs a few minutes to cook but its slippery and crunchy texture makes it a very unique culinary ingredient. Even with longer time cooking will not change its texture. Therefore, cloud-ear mushroom is best for putting in a stir-fry, quick soup recipes and vegetarian stew. You can also put it in salad or some appetizer dishes after quick cooking in hot water.
Last week, I was so pleasantly surprised when I found fresh cloud-ear mushroom for sale in Chinese supermarkets in the Greater Toronto area. They are now being farmed in some Ontario mushroom farms together with many other exotic species. I am so happy to be able to use them fresh in many recipes now.
Whenever I buy cloud-ear mushroom, my 95 year old mom (living with me) will tell her story again on how her father made them all eat a bowl first thing in the morning before breakfast when they were young and how much he loved and cared for them. They were using the dried ones then and have them soaked in an open pot overnight on the roof-top terrace to get some morning dews before cooking with a little sugar to make it tasty for children. This is the kind of breakfast that will make so much difference to our heath compared to eating a bowl of sweet cereal. However, I think this is a hard act to follow and I truly admire the grandfather whom I had never met.
The following is an easy stir-fry recipe which I have put together just for demonstration. I used ingredients I have on hand. Crunchy and easy to cook ingredients such as onion, zucchini, cucumber and sweet peppers go well together with this mushroom. You just vary them according to your liking. Sometimes I put the mushroom in vegetable soups and finish the soup with egg wash to make it a little bit fancier. I have also come to notice some Chinese dim-sum restaurants are using cloud-ear mushroom in their appetizers other than just in their usual steamed chicken.
Cloud-Ear Mushroom with Chicken Stir-Fry
Ingredients
- Cloud-ear mushroom
- Asparagus
- Red onion
- King mushroom
- Chicken breast
- Minced ginger and garlic
Directions
- Rinse and cut ingredients to desire thickness and length.
- Rinse and slice chicken breast thinly. Season with salt, pepper, cooking oil, soy sauce, potato starch and sesame oil.
- Heat wok, add mined ginger and garlic and stir briefly. Add onion and other vegetables to cook for a couple of minutes. Then add mushrooms and mix in seasoning to taste. When the cloud-ear mushrooms starting to make popping sound, sprinkle in a little cooking wine and a little water. Mix and cover with lid to cook for a few minutes. Then put everything aside.
- Heat wok with a little oil and add minced ginger and garlic to stir-fry chicken slices. When about 70 % cooked, sprinkle in cooking wine and return mushrooms & vegetable to the cooking to mix the ingredients. Put everything to plate when chicken is completely cooked.
Cloud-Ear Mushroom - For Spring Detox : Chinese Medicine Living
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If you would like a downloadable information sheet that will tell you all about how to live in harmony with the Spring Season in Chinese Medicine, you can find it here - The Spring Season in Chinese Medicine.
Sang Ji Sheng – with Many Health Benefits
By Vicky Chan of NourishU
Sang Ji Sheng (桑寄生) or Taxilli twig is also known as mulberry mistletoe. It has long been characterized by increasing lifespan and preserving health in many medical classics. The health benefits include lowering blood pressure, treating an abnormal heart rhythm, increasing coronary blood flow, improving coronary circulation, enhancing cardiac contractility, reducing myocardial oxygen consumption, inhibiting platelet aggregation, preventing thrombosis, promoting microcirculation, suppressing tumor growth, curing hepatitis, and so on.
TCM classifies Sang Ji Sheng as bitter and sweet in taste and neutral in nature. Medicinally, only the dried aerial parts of the plant are used. They are usually collected in winter and spring with the big stems removed and the smaller parts cut into sections and dried. Sang Ji Sheng is used in TCM remedies for nourishing liver and kidney, building strong bones and muscles, expelling wind-dampness and preventing abortion. It is also used in resolving health problems such as aching lumbus and knees, weak physique, hemiplegia, rheumatic pain, light headedness, threatened abortion, uterine bleeding, and blood in stool.
Sang Ji Sheng with its neutral nature is commonly used with few restrictions. Since it is a parasitic plant and lives on other woody trees, there can be slight toxicity derived from the host plant. Therefore, the recommended dosage is from 20 to 25 grams in making a decoction. When slight symptoms of adverse effects are found such as dizziness, headache or upset stomach, the whole batch of herb should be discarded. However, adverse effects are not commonly known because Sheng Ji Sheng tea is a very common street food found in many corner stores in China. The Sang Ji Sheng tea with egg dessert is an all-time favourite snack for many.
this lovely image by Vicky Chan
The easiest way to get the health benefits of Sang Ji Sheng is to cook it into a tea. It is a very inexpensive herb and you can buy it in most Chinese herbal shops. You can get 500 gm in a box for less than the price of a small box of tea bags. Make sure you rinse the herb thoroughly first (or even a quick blanching) before boiling it for 45 minutes to make tea. You can add milk and sugar to serve just like making English tea and it is very delicious. I will highly recommend you to try this and treat you guests with this new healthy tea for a change.
The following recipe, Sang Ji Sheng tea with egg dessert, is not only a healthy snack, it is also good for improving complexion and promoting better skin because Sang Ji Sheng is anti-inflammatory and promotes blood circulation. You will be healthier and prettier eating this on a regular basis.
this lovely image by Vicky Chan
Sang Ji Sheng Tea and Egg Dessert
Ingredients (2 servings)
• Sang Ji Sheng – 50 gm
• Egg – two
• Red dates – 10
• Lotus seeds – (optional) a handful
• Organic cane sugar – to taste
Directions
1. Bring 5 cups of water in a pot to a boil and put herb (sang ji sheng) in to cook for half a minute. Remove from heat, discard the water and rinse the herb for a few times to get rid of dirt.
2. Put herb back into the pot with 5 to 6 cups of fresh water. If lotus seed is used, the herb should be put in a soup bag so that it is easier to discard it at the end.
3. Rinse eggs, red dates and add to the pot. Bring water to a medium boil for 10 minutes. Remove eggs, put in cold water bath to remove the shell and put eggs back into the cooking. Continue cooking for another 35 minutes to about 2 cups of tea left.
4. Pick out dates and eggs and add to serving bowls. Filter tea and add to the bowls. Add sugar to taste and serve.
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Sang Ji Sheng – with Many Health Benefits : Chinese Medicine Living
Hawthorn - Lower Blood Pressure & Cholesterol
By Vicky Chan of NourishU
High blood pressure and cholesterol are very common health problems to people in western societies living a hurried lifestyle, eating an unhealthy diet and lacking adequate exercise. The matter is worse during the winter months when many festivities occur (like thanksgiving and Christmas) and people are indulging more in high calorie and fatty foods.
Prevention is better than cure and self-care is better than healthcare. Preventing illness from happening is so much cheaper and more effective than curative care.
To help with fighting high blood pressure and high cholesterol which is believed to be the culprit to most heart diseases, I highly recommend you to try hawthorn.
Hawthorn is a very common fruit which is widely grown in many parts of the world. Chinese hawthorn can be commonly found in most Chinese fresh food markets or herbal stores. Dried, candied hawthorn slices are a popular snack for children to help improve appetite and promoting proper digestion. A few hawthorn fruits are commonly added to meat stews to make the meat more tender and easy to digest. In recent years, food scientists have discovered that the Chinese hawthorn fruit can lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol levels, improve the functioning of the coronary artery and can be effectively used for the prevention and cure of coronary heart disease.
Dried hawthorn is very inexpensive and can be stored for a long time. It is sour in taste and is very acidic. It is not recommended for people with acid related digestive issues. Research suggests that hawthorn can lower low density lipoprotein (LDL, or “bad cholesterol”), and triglycerides (fats in the blood). It seems to lower accumulation of fats in the liver and the aorta (the largest artery in the body, located near the heart). It also increases the excretion of bile and has antioxidant properties.
Simple ways to use hawthorn are:
1. For treating indigestion
Boil 10 hawthorn fruits with 15 grams of brown sugar in 2 cups of water and cook down to one cup and drink the liquid before each meal.
2. For treating lack of appetite (in humid summer weather)
Make a tea using 5 grams of hawthorn fruit, 3 grams of orange peel, 5 mint leaves and a little white sugar.
3. For treating overeating after a big meal of meat or greasy foods
Boil 10 grams of hawthorn fruit, 5 grams of fried sprouted barley, and 5 grams of crushed radish seeds in 1-2 liters of water for about 5 minutes and drink the tea as frequently as desired.
4. For preventing and lowering blood pressure and cholesterol
Boil 15 grams of hawthorn with 6 to 8 dates (cut into halves) with 3 cups of water and cook into one cup. Drink once a day and as often as necessary.
5. For more advanced problems with the arteries, please try the following recipe.
Cornbind and Hawthorn Tea
SYMPTOMS
High blood pressure, hardening of the arteries, high cholesterol, and deficiency of yin, liver and kidney.
THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS
Enriches blood, nourishes yin, moisturizes dryness and calms wind, invigorates kidney and liver, clears away toxic materials, promotes blood circulation, disperses blood stasis, lowers blood pressure and level of blood lipids.
INGREDIENTS
- Chinese cornbind (ho shou wu) 何首烏 - 20gm
- Hawthorn (shan zha) 山楂 - 16gm
- Mulberry (sang shen) 桑椹 - 12gm
DIRECTIONS
1. Rinse herbs and put them all in a pot with 5 cups of water.
2. Cook over medium heat until 1 cup of water left.
3. Drink tea only.
USAGE
Drink regularly for long term effects.
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Featured image from whisperingearth.co.uk
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If you are having health concerns and would like assistance, Emma Suttie D.Ac, AP offers Skype consultations.
Please email info@chinesemedicineliving.com for more info.
Hawthorn - Lower Blood Pressure & Cholesterol
Winter Congee Recipe for Colds & Flu
Congee
Traditionally known as hsi-fan or rice water, congee is eaten throughout China as a breakfast food. It is a thin porridge or gruel consisting of a handful of rice simmered in five to six times the amount of water. Although rice is the most common grain for congees, millet, spelt or other grains are sometimes used. Cook the rice and water together in a covered pot for four to six hours on warm, or use the lowest flame possible; a crockpot works very well for congees. It is better to use too much water than too little, and the longer the congee cooks, the more powerful it becomes.
Healing Properties
This simple rice soup is easily digested and assimilated, tonifies the blood and qi, harmonizes the digestion and is demulcent, and nourishing. It is also useful for increasing a nursing mother’s supply of milk. The liquid can be strained from the porridge to drink as a supplement for infants and for serious conditions.
Other therapeutic properties may be added to the congee by cooking appropriate vegetables, grains, herbs or meats in with the rice water. Since rice itself strengthens the Spleen-Pancreas digestive centre, other foods added to a rice congee become more completely assimilated, and their properties are therefore enhanced. Listed below are some of the more common rice based congees and their specific effects.
- Aduki Bean - Diuretic, curative for edema and gout
- Carrot - Digestive aid, eliminates flatulence
- Celery - Cooling in summer, benefits the large intestine
- Water Chestnut - Cooling to viscera, benefits digestive organs
- Duck or Carp Broth - Reduces edema and swelling
- Fennel - harmonizes the stomach, expels gas, cures hernia
- Ginger - warming and antiseptic to viscera, used for deficient COLD digestive weakness: diarrhea, anorexia, vomiting and indigestion
- Leek - warming to viscera, good for chronic diarrhea
- Mustard - Expels phlegm, clears stomach congestion
- Black Pepper - expels gas, recommended for pain in bowels
- Poppy Seed - relieves vomiting and benefits the large intestine
- Purslane - detoxifies, recommended for rheumatism and swellings (phlegm)
- Radish - Digestant, benefits the diaphragm
- Pickled Radish - benefits digestion and blood
- Taro Root - nutritious, aids the stomach, builds blood
Congee Recipe
Use 1 1/2 cups of uncooked rice, unless you already have some cooked rice in your fridge. You’ll have to extend the cooking time to 1-1/2 to 2 hours with uncooked rice, but you will be rewarded with a bowl of yummy goodness that is soothing both spiritually and physically. There are so many things that you can add to congee that add both flavour and texture to the final dish. You can refer to the list above or see what you have in the fridge and be creative!
Time: About 1 hour
Makes: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked white rice
- 5 cups water
- 1/2 pound chicken bones or 2 chicken thighs
- 3, 1/4-inch-thick slices fresh ginger
- 1 plump clove garlic, smashed
- 1 green onion, tied into a knot
- 1/4 of a whole yellow or red onion
- Soy sauce, salt, and white pepper to taste
- Sesame oil and/or kecap manis for drizzling (optional)
Garnishes:
- Shredded chicken (from the thighs above or leftovers)
- Green onions, chopped
- Fried garlic
- Fried shallots
Directions
- In a medium pot, combine the rice, water, chicken bones, ginger, garlic, green onion, onion and bring to a boil over high heat. Skim off any scum or foam that rises to the surface.
- Reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally so that the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom of pot and burn.
- If using chicken thighs, remove them after 20 minutes and scrape off the meat and shred or chop. Set the meat aside and return the bones to the pot. Continue cooking for another 40 minutes or so.
- When the rice grains are swollen and the mixture is as thick as oatmeal, the congee is ready. If it gets too thick, add more water. If it’s too thin, cook it until it reaches the desired smoothness and thickness.
- Remove the bones, ginger, garlic, green onion and onion. Add soy sauce, salt, and white pepper to taste.
- Ladle into individual bowls, drizzle with sesame oil, and garnish as desired.
Winter Congee Recipe for Colds & Flu : Chinese Medicine Living
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If you would like a downloadable information sheet that will tell you all about how to live in harmony with the Winter Season in Chinese Medicine, you can find it here - The Winter Season in Chinese Medicine.
Fuzzy Melon - A Diuretic to Expel Toxins
By Vicky Chan of NourishU
Fuzzy melon, also known as fuzzy squash or mo gwa (hairy melon) is named for the fine-textured fuzz or hairs that cover the outer thick skin. It is a very common and easy to grow vegetable in backyard home gardens during summer.
This mild, sweet-flavored squash, which is common to Asian cooking, is low in calories and high in fiber. Chinese Medicine regards mo qwa as nutrient rich, sweet in taste, neutral in nature and a diuretic which helps to increase urine output to eliminate toxins from the body. It is suitable for people of all ages, even for the very sick and weak.
The melon is easy to prepare and is incorporated into a variety of cooked dishes such as stir-fry's, soup and stew. When selecting the melon, the more hairy ones the better and the smaller ones (around one pound) are tenderer than the bigger ones. When preparing the squash, peel the skin away first and then cut the squash into cubes for stew and soup or Julian cut them into match sticks for stir-fry. Since the squash itself is very mild in favour, it is usually cooked with ingredients such as dried shrimps, dried scallops or dried mushrooms to give it the sweet and salty tastes
The following is a very common household mo qua stir-fry recipe which we all grew up with. You can always add more ingredients to the dish such as meat or fresh mushrooms to increase the tastes and nutritional values.
Stir-Fried Fuzzy Melon with Dried Shrimps and Vermicelli
Therapeutic Effects
Diuretic, increases urine output to flush out toxins from the body, benefits stomach and spleen.
Ingredients
- Fuzzy melon - one
- Vermicelli – one bunch
- Dried shrimps – about 2 tablespoons
- Minced ginger – one teaspoon
- Minced garlic – one teaspoon
- Oyster sauce – two tablespoons
- Cooking wine – one tablespoon
- Sesame oil – one tablespoon
Directions
1. Soak vermicelli with warm water for about half an hour and rinse.
2. Peel skin of fuzzy melon and trim off both ends. Rinse and Julian cut into match sticks.
3. Rinse dried shrimps slightly and drain.
4. Heat pan over medium heat with two spoonful of cooking oil. Add ginger and garlic to stir briefly. Then add dried shrimps and stir until slightly brown.
5. Turn up heat and add melon to stir for a few minutes. Add salt and a little pepper to taste. Sprinkle in cooking wine and add water to just cover the melon (about one cup). Cover with lid and let it cook for about 5 to 6 minutes to melon become soften but still firm and with about one-third of water left. Add vermicelli and mix in. Add oyster sauce and sesame oil and cook until most of the liquid is being absorbed and serve.
Usage
No limitations
Fuzzy Melon - A Diuretic to Expel Toxins
Lo-han Fruit for Soothing Throat and Cough
By Vicky Chan of NourishU
Luo Han Guo or Lo-han fruit is a fruit which has been used as a medicinal herb for treating cough and sore throat for centuries in China and is popularly considered to be a longevity aid.
The fruit is collected as a round green fruit that turns brown upon drying. The outer surface of the dried fruit is round and smooth, dusty yellow-brown or dusty green-brown. It is covered with fine, soft hair. The fruit is covered by a hard but thin shell. Inside is a partly dry, flexible substance containing the juice, as well as a large number of seeds. The skin, juicy part, and seeds all have a good sweet flavor. Its nature is cool, and it has no poison.
The sweet taste of Lo-han fruit primarily from mixed mogrosides and are estimated to be about 300 times as sweet as sugar by weight, so that the 80% extracts are nearly 250 times sweeter than sugar. It has more recently been developed into a non-caloric sweetener to compete with other herbal sweeteners in relation to diabetes and obesity, because it can substitute for caloric sugars normally consumed in the diet.
The dried Lo-han fruit is very inexpensive and each one is about the cost of a fresh lemon but has many medicinal benefits. It is known to help relieve sunstroke, moistens the lungs, eliminates phlegm, stops cough, and promotes bowel movements.
Applications:
1. Heat stroke with thirst: Take one fruit, break it open and stir into boiled water. Drink the liquid in place of tea.
2. Acute or chronic throat inflammation: Take half a fruit and 3-5 seeds. Cover with hot water and simmer for 20 minutes, then swallow the tea very slowly.
3. Chronic cough: Take 1 piece of fruit, cover with water, simmer, and drink the liquid. Do this twice each day.
4. Constipation in the aged: Take 2 pieces of fruit, obtain the juicy part and the seed (put the shell aside for other uses), break apart, cover with water, and simmer. Drink before going to bed.
5. Diabetes: Take an appropriate measure of the fruit and crush it or simmer it into a thick juice and add to food being prepared, using it as a substitute for sugar.
The following is a very easy recipe for general detox or soothing throat infection with phlegm. It can be consumed regularly especially in late fall and early winter months. Please explore other recipes on our website (www.nourishu.com) using the fruit to cook as tea or soup.
Lo-han Quo Green Tea
Symptoms
Throat infection with phlegm.
Therapeutic Effects
Clear phlegm and toxic materials in the lungs. This recipe is good for prevention too.
Ingredients
- Lo-han quo 羅漢果 – half
- Green tea - adequate
1. Put both ingredients in a teapot and pore in adequate boiling water, cover lid and brew for 5 minutes. Serve as tea.
Usage
Drink throughout the day with no restrictions.
Lo-Han Fruit for Soothing Throat & Cough : Chinese Medicine Living
Jellyfish - For Brain & Heart Health
By Vicky Chan of NourishU
The primetime commercial that I have been seeing lately describes the proteins in jellyfish to be the miracle ingredient to help people fight age related cognitive decline. Normally our brain produces calcium binding proteins of its own, but as we get older, these reduce in number. This is a problem as the proteins are used in order to regulate the amount of calcium in the brain cells and this can then slow down various brain functions. The research found jelly fish to contain a lot of calcium binding proteins which improve memory. Dried jellyfish contain collagen which is helpful for the treatment of arthritis and visible signs of aging. There are beauty products now using jellyfish as one of the key ingredients. Now that with all the scientific research behind the various health claims, I am hoping that more people will come to know about jellyfish. Instead of just running out to buy the supplement, I strongly suggest you to go straight to the real food and adopt it as part of your regular diet. It will certainly make your meals more interesting and palatable.
Jellyfish is one of Asia's most popular foods. It has certainly been our family’s favourite and we used to fight over it when we were young. Jellyfish are actually not fish because they have no fin and backbone structure as in any other fish. They are typified as free-swimming marine animals consisting of a gelatinous umbrella-shaped bell and trailing tentacles. The bell can pulsate for locomotion, while stinging tentacles can be used to capture prey. Jellyfish are about 95% water with only about 5% of proteins. The interesting thing about jellyfish is that they are almost immortal. Any small pieces of tentacles separated from the body can grow back into full size jellyfish rapidly. The fast production of cells is ideal for humans to stay young!
Chinese medicine has been familiar with the benefits of jellyfish for centuries and has been using them for clearing heat, eliminating congestion, lubricating intestines, clearing sputum, lowering blood pressure and cholesterol, and for dilating blood vessels to prevent hardening of the arteries. Jellyfish is highly recommended for people who are overweight and have problems with heart health.
Jellyfish are dried before being sold because they can spoil easily after being caught. When preparing jellyfish, they are soaked in water for hours to get rid of salt and to get rehydrated. Then they are cooked by boiling in water for a few minutes which will turn them crunchy but rubbery and cause them to shrink a lot in size. They need to be soaked again in cold water for a few hours (best to keep in the fridge overnight) which will inflate and soften them. Jellyfish can then be chopped into small pieces (if not already cut) to either eat cold as an appetizer or to add to other dishes.
Jellyfish as an appetizer or in a salad is very popular in Chinese cuisine and banquets. They are actually very easy to make. You just need to season the jellyfish with a little vinegar, soy sauce and sesame oil. You can serve it as is, or serve with some fermented vegetables such as cucumber and sprinkle a little roasted sesame seeds on top. Adding jellyfish to a stir-fry at the very last minute will add crunchiness and authenticity to any dish. Please search our website, NourishU for other recipes using jellyfish for many therapeutic benefits.
The following is a delightful jellyfish salad recipe which is my personal favourite for the summer months. I hope you and your family will enjoy it as much as I do. Bon appétit!
Water Chestnut and Jellyfish Salad
Symptoms
Cough with phlegm
THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS:
Clear cough with phlegm and detoxify lungs.
Ingredients
- Water chestnut 馬蹄 – 10
- Dried Jellyfish 海蜇 – 160gm
- Celery 西芹 - 100gm
- Soy sauce 生抽
- Sesame oil 麻油
- Sesame seeds
Directions
- Soak jellyfish until soft, rinse clean and shred thinly (if it has not been cut). Put jelly fish in boiling water to cook for a few minutes. Remove and rinse and put in cold water (keep covered and inside the fridge) to soak for a couple of hours until becoming soft again. Put in strainer to drain away water.
- Peel water chestnut and shred thinly.
- Wash and peel celery and shred thinly.
- Put all three ingredients in a bowl and mix in soy sauce and sesame oil to taste. Put ingredients to plate and sprinkle in sesame seeds on top to serve.
Usage
No limitations.
Jellyfish - For Brain & Heart Health : Chinese Medicine Living
Chinese ‘A’ Lettuce – Packs a Punch of Nutrients
By Vicky Chan of NourishU
Lettuce is one of the most common leaf vegetables for salads. There are many different types of lettuce and they are characterized by large, tender leaves, and are usually light green in color.
Lettuce is low in calories and is approximately 90% water. It has little fiber but has some minerals including potassium, calcium, phosphorous, iron and magnesium; anti-oxidants such as beta-carotene and vitamins A, C and E, vitamin K, folate as well as many vitamins of the B complex. The milky latex, found mainly in the stems contains a mixture of active principles which have been used for centuries for its medicinal virtues. It has extraordinary “sedative” and “painkilling” properties. Unfortunately lettuce stems are usually unused in western cuisine.
Therefore the healthy properties of lettuce are: anti-anemic with high amounts of chlorophyll and iron for the synthesis of hemoglobin in red blood cells; anti-oxidant and prevents premature aging with beta-carotene, vitamin C and vitamin E; promotes bone health with vitamin K and calcium; relieves constipation by stimulating the function and motility of the intestinal tract; relieves cough and asthma with anti-cough agents; hydration with high water content; sedation and treats sleep disorder with high B vitamins content.
Taiwan has been exporting a special kind of lettuce known as ‘A’ lettuce for years and it has been very popular among Asian cuisines. The ‘A’ is in short form for asparagus. The plant is much taller than other types of lettuce. It has very a long stem and long sword like leaves that are light green in color. The leaves grow on top of the stem and are cut off at the base and sold separately from the stem. They can be easily found in most Chinese grocery stores now. The leaves and the stems are used lightly cooked but the stems can also be eaten raw with salads. The stems are known to offer a lot more nutrients than the leaves.
The following is a recipe to inspire you to eat more of the ‘A’ lettuce stems. You can add more ingredients to the stir-fry such as meat or seafood to make the dish more interesting. The stems are very crispy even after cooked and are mild in taste and very refreshing for summer dishes.
Stir-fried Chinese Asparagus Lettuce Stems with King Mushrooms
INGREDIENTS
(2 to 3 servings)
- ‘A’ lettuce stems – one or two
- King mushrooms – a few
- Carrot - half (optional for color and additional health benefits)
- Minced ginger – one spoonful
- Minced garlic – one spoonful
- Oyster sauce – one spoonful (optional)
- Potato starch – one tea spoonful (optional)
- Sesame oil – one spoonful (optional)
DIRECTIONS
- Cut out skin of stems lengthwise, rinse and slice into thin slices.
- Rinse mushrooms and cut into slices.
- Cut carrot into thin slices.
- Put carrot in a stir-fry pan with a little water to pre-cook for about 4 minutes or to desire softness, remove and keep aside.
- Heat pan with a little oil and add half of the minced ginger and garlic. Stir and add the mushroom slices to cook for a few minutes on both sides. Sprinkle in a little salt and black pepper to taste and put aside.
- Heat pan again with a little oil and put in the remaining ginger and garlic. Add stem slices and carrot and stir for a couple of minutes. Add a few spoonful of water to cook stem slightly to water is mostly evaporated. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix in mushroom and oyster sauce. Mix starch with two spoonful of water and sesame oil and stir-in for a minute to combine the flavors and then put everything to plate.
USAGE
No restrictions
**MORE INFO
Check out this article about the amazing health benefits of asparagus from well-being secrets! - 31 Science-Backed Health Benefits of Asparagus
Job’s Tears & Winter Melon for Weight Loss
By Vicky Chan of NourishU
In a previous recipe, we introduced Job’s tears and their remarkable health benefits. Job’s tears are not only good for releasing water logging in cells, they have many healing properties such as lowering cholesterol, preventing allergies, anti-cancer growth, detoxifying, clearing phlegm, removing internal heat and draining puss.
Winter melon has similar health benefits as Job’s tears. The healing effects can be even better when combining the two ingredients together. Here is a soup recipe using the two ingredients plus some more ingredients to make it very delicious. It is easy to make and is suitable for the whole family and all ages. It is best for people who are overweight and would like to get rid of some extra pounds.
If making soup takes too long for you, you can simplify the recipe by just using the two main ingredients, Job’s tears and winter melon, to make them into a beverage. It can be taken regularly throughout the day, warm or cold. It is especially good for the summer months for quenching thirst and for countering the adverse weather effects.
To make the drink, the quantity of each ingredient can vary according to your own liking, resulting in a thicker drink or a thinner drink. If you dice the melon smaller and pre-soak Job’s tears for a few hours, it will take less time to have them cooked and dissolved mostly into the water. For the undissolved Job’s tears, you can eat them separately as cereal for breakfast or add them to other recipes or salads.
It is a very inexpensive recipe to get a whole lot of health benefits. BON APPÉTIT!
Winter Melon and Job's Tears Chicken Soup
SYMPTOMS
Overweight with damp heat syndrome (scarce urination, skin eruptions and indigestion).
THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS
Relieves dampness and clears heat, diuretic, relieves constipation, improves complexion, invigorates spleen, improves digestion and benefits blood.
INGREDIENTS
(for 5 to 6 servings)
- Winter melon 冬瓜- 2000gm
- Job's tears (yi yi ren) 薏以仁 - 80gm
- Bone-in skinless chicken breast – one piece
- Lean pork with bone – 2 to 3 pieces
- Ginger – 3 to 4 slices
- Honey dates - 3
- Dried scallop – 3 to 4 (optional)
- Dried Mandarin orange peel – 1 piece (optional, soak for 15 minutes and scrape out the white membrane to get rid of the bitter taste)
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Rinse chicken and pork and cut meat from bones into large pieces. Remove skin of winter melon and dice into cubes. Rinse Job’s tears.
2. Bring 4 cups of water in a soup pot to a rolling boil and put in bones to boil for about 3 minutes. Then add meat to boil for another 1 to 2 minutes. Discard water and rinse meat.
3. Fill soup pot with 2 to 3 liters of clean water and put all ingredients in, except melon. Bring content to a boil for 10 minutes, and then reduce heat to medium to cook for 1.5 hours. Add hot water to the cooking when necessary.
4. Add winter melon and continue the cooking for another half hour to melon is cooked to desire softness.
5. Add salt to taste and serve.
USAGE
Not suitable for people with cold spleen syndrome (acid reflux). Take regularly for best results.
Oysters - The Immune & Libido Boosters
By Vicky Chan of NourishU
Oysters contain more zinc per serving than any other food such as grains, legumes, meat, nuts, and seeds. The main function of zinc is to boost the body's immune system which can help to prevent colds and allergies. Zinc is also an antioxidant which can help combat inflammation and reduce disease risk. Oysters also have libido-boosting effect and are beneficial to sexual health in men. Severe cases of zinc deficiency can lead to impotence.
A cup of raw oysters contains 650 percent of the recommended daily value of zinc, 362 percent of the recommended daily intake of B-12, 13 percent of riboflavin and 11 percent of niacin. They are also a good source of vitamins including vitamins A, B, C, and D, and a good source of complete proteins which means they contain all of the essential amino acids.
Chinese medicine regards oysters as neutral in nature, sweet and salty in taste and beneficial to the liver and kidneys. Oysters have been used to promote yang, nourish blood, check excessive perspiration and premature ejaculation, cure tuberculosis of the lymph nodes and reduce stress. Oyster shells have also been used for anti-tumor and anti-infection treatment.
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Most people either love oysters or hate them. Oysters are a decent source of low fat protein. Six medium oysters contain about six grams of protein. This protein is high in quality and is easier to digest than chicken and beef. According to the Resources Defense Council, oysters are one of the least contaminated types of seafood. Unlike some fish-farming operations, oyster farms can actually improve the quality of oceans and bays. That's because the oysters in offshore farms will feed on particulate matter and nutrients that might otherwise pollute waterways. Despite the perception that oysters are high in cholesterol, they actually contain only around 50 mg. of cholesterol per serving which is well within the recommendation of less than 300 mg. per day. Six medium oysters has only one gram of saturated fat and 57 calories.
When oysters are eaten raw, they may contain Vibrio bacteria that can cause illness, particularly in those with a weakened immune system. The best way to reduce this risk is to cook oysters to well done. Here is a delicious and easy to make recipe which only takes about 10 minutes.
Oyster and Egg Pancake
Therapeutic Effects
Improves immune system, promotes yang, and improves overall health.
Ingredients
(4 servings)
- Oysters – 16 oz. or 473 ml or about 10 large ones
- Green onion – 2
- Coriander – 2 to 3 branches
- Eggs – 2
- Sweet potato starch – 5 large table spoons
- Fish sauce – 3 table spoons
- White pepper – 1 tea spoon
Directions
- Rinse oysters and put in a mixing bowl. Mix oysters with 2 table spoons of salt by hand for a couple of minutes so that the slime and dark materials are coming off. Rinse and repeat the process with 2 table spoons of corn starch to clean oysters the second time. Rinse and drain.
- Remove and discard the coin shape hard muscle of each oyster and cut each oyster into 6 to 8 pieces. Put them in a mixing bowl.
- Rinse and finely cut green onion and coriander and add to the bowl.
- Add in potato starch, fish sauce, white pepper, one spoon of oil and ¾ cup of water. Mix content well.
- Beat eggs in a separate container and keep aside.
- Heat 3 spoons of oil in a non-stick pan and pour in half of the oyster mixture. Let it cook to slightly brown on the bottom (about 5 minutes) and use the spatula to cut pancake into 4 quarters. Add a little bit of oil right in the middle and then pour half of the egg mixture on top. The egg will flow through the cracks and around the edges of the pancake. When egg is slightly brown, turn each quarter piece upside down to brown the top side. When both sides are brown and oysters are cooked, transfer pancake to serving plate.
- Repeat the cooking process for the other half of the ingredients to make the second pancake.
- Sever hot with extra fish sauce mixing with a pinch of white pepper as dipping sauce if necessary.
Usage
No restrictions
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Featured image from www.FastCoExist.com