4 Best Healthy Seasonal Recipes in China

There are many people from all over the world who enjoy eating Chinese food, however, Chinese medicinal food is an exclusive type — a relic of ancient healing art that you can study. It’s a type that is a part of traditional Chinese medicine. Online Chinese name generators make it easy to generate Chinese names.

Chinese food therapy

If you’re curious about exploring the traditional Chinese remedies for improved health, here’s the background, general guidelines, and some dishes.

A Brief History of Medicinal Cuisine

Genuine Chinese herbal food items are made using traditional recipes and methods that are based on ancient notions regarding how the human body functions. They provided information on the effects of every kind of grain, meat, plant, or vegetable in the human body and how the body works and provided suggestions for how to cook to stay healthy or treat illness.

The earliest written work on these diverse topics dates back to the beginning of the Han Dynasty era (206 BC-220 AD) and is referred to as”the Huangdi Neijing (The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine). It contains the fundamental ideas in Chinese nutrition therapy. The text provides recommendations about what foods to eat to treat different health conditions as well as different environmental circumstances.

The ancient Chinese medical texts list hundreds of animal, plant, and chemical components and describe their particular impacts on human bodies. They provide ideas on the physical factors that influence human health. They also discuss how specific herbs or food items can help, as well as TCM techniques like acupuncture and moxibustion.

Since then the fundamental ideas regarding health and food have changed only a little.

General Principals of Chinese Medicinal Cuisine

1. Balance

The fundamental idea is to regulate the qi and fluids in the body which are the foundations that are the basis of Chinese Traditional Chinese Medicine. It is believed a healthy person’s organ has a balanced balance of these factors. If they are not in equilibrium, it is a sign of sickness or illness.

Physical or environmental injury alters the balance. For instance, cold temperatures result in a decrease of qi, or high yin levels in the body. Thus, foods with high yin are consumed. In hot weather, when there is a natural excess of Yang, high-yin food items are consumed. The recipes for each season are listed below.

2. Adding Medicinal Herbs

The healing herbs and animal parts can be incorporated into the diet to treat diseases. A lot of herbal remedies are utilized by Western herbalists and herbalists from different parts of the world to treat similar ailments, and this strongly suggests that herbs can be used for medicinal purposes. Find out more about the Top 10 Most Common Herbs and Spices used to flavor Chinese Food.

3. Using Heat and Flavors

Each food item is classified according to Qi temperature, which ranges from high yang to yin. It is also one of the five flavors of food (sour bitter, sweet, bitter hot, salty, and bitter). The food’s qi temperature and the specific flavor affect the body’s metabolism in its own way.

It is believed that people are advised to incorporate all tastes in their meals to be sure to balance by balancing the “heat”. A majority of Chinese people believe that the consumption of too much of one kind of food can lead to an imbalance within the body.

4. Mealtime TCM Principles

Your diet also is important. Slow eating is believed to improve your overall health. How you eat is important. It is believed that eating slowly can improve your well-being.

The texts from ancient times explained not just what to cook for meals but also the best way to prepare meals. It is possible to be surprised by these Chinese habits of eating food that has been a part of Chinese tradition for centuries.

• Beware of processed foods. Take your food in a natural way.
• Consume seasonal fruits and vegetables.
• Always ensure that you cook the veggies.
• Eat your meal in an uncrowded spot.
• Take your food in a well-balanced way.
• Take your time eating.
• Take note of your food and stay away from distractions. In TCM your mind is a factor in the way you take in food therefore be aware of the taste of the food you eat.
• Don’t skip meals.
• After lunch, you can take time to nap or take a break for a few minutes.
• Seasonal Recipes Help You Live Longer
• It’s interesting that Chinese are of the believe that eating food that is seasonal is generally the best.

High-yang foods

In summer, for instance, melons, and yin-based foods such as cucumbers are readily available, while in winter, high-yang foods like onions and garlic are available to eat and store. They also have red peppers, as well as other herbs with high yang. It’s like nature creates the perfect food items that are healing for humans.

Applications For the season of flu and cold in the winter months of late autumn and winter, Chinese are advised to avoid eating melons, particularly in the case of an illness. If Chinese are suffering from sunstroke (from hot Chinese summer days) they should avoid onions and garlic.

In keeping with tradition here are some recipes for seasonal therapeutic foods.

• Winter: Chicken and Ginger Soup Recipe

Similar to Westerners, Chinese people like to drink a lot of hot soup during frigid winter nights. However, their approach is to cook soups using high-yang herbs and vegetables and add meat to complement the dish. One of the most popular winter soups, as in the West is chicken soup.

Instructions

Cook chicken pieces and boil them with two pieces of potatoes half of an uncolored Chinese turnip, and one teaspoon of ginger. Once the chicken and potato pieces are cooked to a certain extent you can add chopped vegetables and other spices.

The diced veggies should comprise three cloves of garlic chopped into dice and one onion chopped since they are the most important ingredients to add the yin. It is also possible to include one cup of carrots or a cup of mushrooms or one cup of zucchini, the bok choy, or similar fruits and vegetables.

Seasonings Mix it up and add one tablespoon of sea salt and, if desired other herbs, such as a few thinly cut pieces of milk vetch root or a pinch of turmeric. If you are a fan of red pepper, you can add it to make a zag!

• Spring: Asparagus and Vinegar Recipe

In spring, everything comes alive and begins to grow. And it is crucial that living creatures have more Yang to grow.

It is believed that the gallbladder and liver are particularly important during this time. and is crucial to eat the spring green plants that grow during this time because they provide the essential Yang, as well as help, nourish the liver. “Green is the color of the liver and of spring” is a popular saying. Drink fresh sour juices as they stimulate the Qi.

It could also be an occasion that the body performs “spring cleaning” on itself by eliminating meat and fats that are stored and meat, which is why eating less fat and meat is believed to be better for overall health.

This is a simple and simple vegetarian dish and drinks that is an excellent illustration of a healing springtime dish.

Instructions

Clean a bunch of asparagus and an onion in clean water with no detergent. Chop the vegetables and gently simmer them to ensure that the asparagus is a firm and vibrant green. Be aware that the asparagus cooks quickly, so don’t cook them for too long.

Create a dressing by adding two tablespoons of olive oil that is virgin to one portion of apple cider vinegar. Plum vinegar is popular due to its springtime fruit. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and enjoy the meal with a glass of lemonade.

For making lemonade simply squeeze a lemon and then add the juice to pure water.

• Summer: Tomato and Cucumber Salad Recipe

This is one of the most popular dishes for the summer months when the yin is high and you’re looking to cool down. Cucumbers and tomatoes are both high-yin veggies that are easily accessible.

Instructions

Find fresh and ripe fruits and vegetables. Slice some red onions (or in the event of a shortage, an ordinary onion) and cut up cucumbers and tomatoes. Mix all the ingredients with virgin olive oil and then add salt, dill, and pepper according to your preference.

It’s simple to prepare and is perfect for hot summer days.

• Autumn: Butternut Squash Soup Recipe

In the fall the natural cycle of life slows down It is believed that the qi is returned to earth. In TCM the qi moves to the inside of the body’s core.

The consumption of fruits and vegetables that are readily available in these seasons can help your body transition and keep you healthy. Here’s a recipe to make butternut squash soup. pumpkin or other varieties of squash could be substituted.

Instructions

Ingredients: Take a big butternut squash, an equivalent-sized pumpkin, or any other squash, and a medium onion. Add two cloves of garlic the stalk of celery large carrots, cooked chicken meat, cinnamon, salt, pepper, and nutmeg according to your preference.

Chop and dice all the ingredients to prepare the soup. First, boil the squash in the water in a large pot. After the squash is nearly cooked and tender, add the remaining vegetables, as well as the chicken chunks, and simmer the soup for about a couple of minutes. After the soup has been cooked and has cooled then add the spices and mix it all together.

There’s a pot of delicious and chunky chicken soup. If you’ve got a blender you can blend the soup using the blender to blend it until it’s smooth. After that, you can heat the soup if you’d like.