Spring is the time when the liver qi (肝气, gan qi) rises. During this period, it is advisable to reduce salty and sour flavors while increasing spicy flavors to support the kidneys (肾, shen), nourish the lungs (肺, fei), and harmonize the stomach qi (胃气, wei qi), while also promoting the rise of liver qi. Foods such as celery (芹菜, qin cai), fermented black soybeans (豆豉, dou chi), scallions (葱, cong), cilantro (香菜, xiang cai), peanuts (花生, hua sheng), chicken (鸡, ji), pork (猪肉, zhu rou), fish (鱼, yu), and beef (牛肉, niu rou) are recommended. Additionally, medicinal dishes can be chosen for dietary supplementation, following the principle of supporting the kidneys and nourishing the lungs while harmonizing the rising liver qi.
1.Peanut and Celery Salad
100 grams of unshelled peanuts (连皮花生仁, lian pi hua sheng), 250 grams of celery (芹菜, qin cai), appropriate amounts of soybean oil (豆油, dou you), soy sauce (酱油, jiang you), fine salt (精盐, jing yan), monosodium glutamate (味精, wei jing), sugar (白糖, bai tang), vinegar (醋, cu), and Sichuan pepper oil (花椒油, hua jiao you). Heat the soybean oil in a wok, fry the peanuts until crispy, and remove. Clean the celery, cut it into 3 cm long sections, blanch in boiling water, then cool in cold water and drain. Combine the celery and peanuts in a dish, mix the soy sauce, fine salt, sugar, monosodium glutamate, vinegar, and Sichuan pepper oil in a small bowl, pour over the dish, and mix well. This dish can be served as a side and has the effect of clearing heat and harmonizing the stomach.
2.Goji Berry Tea
15 grams of goji berries (枸杞子, gou qi zi). Wash the goji berries, place them in a teacup, and steep in boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes. This tea has the effects of nourishing the liver and kidneys and improving vision.
3.Celery and Jujube Soup
400 grams of celery (芹菜, qin cai), 100 grams of jujube (大枣, da zao). First, place the jujube in a clay pot with an appropriate amount of water, bring to a boil, then simmer to make a broth. Afterward, add the cut celery and serve. This dish has the function of strengthening the spleen (脾, pi), soothing the liver, and promoting bile flow.
4.Celery and He Shou Wu Congee
150 grams of celery (芹菜, qin cai), 30 grams of processed He Shou Wu (制首乌, zhi shou wu), 50 grams of minced pork (猪瘦肉末, zhu shou rou mo), 100 grams of corn (粟米, su mi), appropriate amounts of fine salt and monosodium glutamate. Wash and slice the processed He Shou Wu, dry or roast it, and grind it into a fine powder. Wash the celery, take the leaf stalks and stems, and finely chop. Wash the corn, place it in a clay pot with an appropriate amount of water, bring to a boil, then add the minced pork and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the chopped celery and He Shou Wu powder, mix well, and continue to simmer for another 20 minutes. When the congee is ready, add fine salt and monosodium glutamate to taste. This dish nourishes the liver and kidneys, calms the liver, and reduces lipids.
5.He Shou Wu and Beef Stir-fried Bamboo Shoots
30 grams of processed He Shou Wu slices (制首乌片, zhi shou wu pian), 150 grams of fresh tender beef slices (鲜嫩牛肉片, xian nen niu rou pian), 50 grams of cooked bamboo shoots (熟竹笋片, shu zhu sun pian), 10 jujubes (红枣, hong zao), appropriate amounts of cooking wine (料酒, liao jiu), scallions (葱花, cong hua), minced ginger (姜末, jiang mo), salt, monosodium glutamate, five-spice powder (五香粉, wu xiang fen), wet starch (湿淀粉, shi dian fen), and vegetable oil (素油, su you). Heat the vegetable oil in a pan, add the bamboo shoots and stir-fry briefly, then add the beef slices and cooking wine, stir-fry for a while, add the processed He Shou Wu, jujubes, and an appropriate amount of broth, and simmer for 20 minutes until the beef is tender. Finally, add salt, monosodium glutamate, and five-spice powder, thicken with wet starch, and serve. This dish has the effects of nourishing the liver and kidneys, enriching yin, and reducing lipids.
6.Eight Treasure Rice
500 grams of glutinous rice (糯米, nuo mi), 50 grams each of coix seeds (薏苡仁, yi yi ren), white lentils (白扁豆, bai bian dou), lotus seeds (莲子, lian zi), walnut kernels (核桃仁, he tao ren), and longan flesh (龙眼肉, long yan rou), 20 jujubes (大枣, da zao), and 60 grams of sugar (白糖, bai tang). Soak the coix seeds, white lentils, and lotus seeds in warm water, wash, and cook in a pressure cooker until done. Wash and soak the jujubes. Roast the walnut kernels. Prepare the longan flesh in a bowl. Wash the glutinous rice and steam until cooked. Grease a large bowl with lard, arrange the longan flesh, jujubes, walnut kernels, lotus seeds, white lentils, and coix seeds at the bottom, then add the cooked glutinous rice on top, and steam for about 15 minutes. In the end, boil sugar with water to make a syrup and pour it over the rice. This dish can be served as a staple food and has the effects of strengthening the spleen, nourishing the stomach, enriching yin, and nourishing the kidneys.
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