Winter Health Chinese Food and Recipe

Chinese yam

Chinese yam is an ornamental vine that is native to Asia and also grows in North America. Another name for Chinese yam is cinnamon vine. It is also called shan yao. Chinese yam is used in Chinese herbal medicine. It is traditionally used to treat disorders related to the stomach, spleen, lungs, and kidneys.

Recipe: Pork bone soup with Chinese yam and red dates

There are many benefits using bones in soups, namely that they contain calcium ions, which is easily absorbed by the body. For people who are lactose-intolerant, using bones in soup is a good way to get more calcium into the body and also good for people recovering from an illness.

Ingredients

75g fresh Chinese yam

6-8 red dates

300g pork ribs

3-5 pieces ginger

4 cups water

Salt

Directions

1. Peel the Chinese yam and cut into small chunks

2. Wash and parboil the pork ribs

3. Wash the red dates and remove the piths

4. Boil water in a kettle

5. Place the red dates, ribs, ginger into the slow cooker and add the boiling water



Lamb

• Mutton is energy tonic in winter. It can improve blood circulation and warm up internal region.

• Mutton promotes Yang Qi, tonifying the kidney.

• There is a saying “Eating mutton is better than that of Ginseng in winter”.

• Mutton contains less cholesterol than that of beef and pork.

• Mutton’s liver is good to our eyes.

Who shouldn’t eat?

People who are suffering fever, edema, hectic fever, malaria, toothache, etc.

Hepatitis patients don’t eat. Mutton has powerful warm energy. Excessive intake will aggravate the symptoms.

When should eat?

Don’t eat in summer. Better eat in winter.

Recipe: Stewed Radish Mutton

Ingredients

400g Lamb belly

200g Radish

20g Leek

5g garlic

5 g ginger

1 whole nutmeg

3 star anise

3 g whole cloves

3g cinnamon bark

3g spring onion

3g shallots

½ teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon oyster sauce

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon Chinese wine

½ teaspoon white pepper

3g preserved bean curd

3g fermented Red bean curd

1 tablespoon chili oil

1 tablespoon dark soy sauce



Directions

1. Cut leeks into sections and radish into large cubes



2. In a hot dry pan, sauté ginger, and nutmeg, anise, cloves and cinnamon until fragrant



3. Add sugar, lamb, a cup of boiling water and cook with lid on for about 10 minutes. Reserve lamb and broth for later use.

4. In a hot pan with oil, sauté garlic, shallot until fragrant

5. Add lamb, radish, lamb broth, and remaining ingredients into the pot

6. Cook for another 15 minutes until lamb is tender

7. Garnish with spring onion and serve hot

If your too busy to make homemade Chinese food, you can try Chinese restaurants in New York. Looking forward to Chinese Restaurant You Must Go next week!