Winter is the season when yang energy converges and the cold is approaching. In this season, choosing appropriate ingredients can help the body stay warm and healthy. Eating more "tonifying vegetables" with warming and tonic effects has become a health choice for many people. Mutton, beef, leeks, bean sprouts and spinach are ingredients that are believed to help increase the body's yang energy and enhance the body's ability to withstand the cold. They nourish the body in different ways, providing nourishment and warmth during the cold winter months.
1. Mutton:
Mutton is a traditional warming and tonic ingredient, which has the effects of warming the stomach, tonifying the kidneys, and warming the body. It is rich in high-quality protein, vitamin B complex and minerals, especially iron and zinc, which is helpful for improving immunity. Its warming properties can increase body heat in winter and help protect against cold weather.
Recommended recipe: Stir-fried mutton with green onions
Ingredients: mutton (sliced); green onions (cut into sections); minced ginger; minced garlic; cooking wine; light soy sauce; salt; white pepper; starch; edible oil
Steps:
1. Marinate mutton: Put the cut mutton into a bowl, add a little cooking wine, light soy sauce, salt, white pepper and starch, mix well and marinate for a while.
2. Stir-fry in a hot pan: Heat a little cooking oil in the pan, add scallions, minced ginger and minced garlic and saute until fragrant.
3. Stir-fry mutton: Add the marinated mutton and stir-fry quickly until it changes color.
4. Seasoning: Pour in appropriate amount of cooking wine and light soy sauce, and season with a little salt and white pepper according to taste.
5. Collect the juice: Stir-fry continuously until the mutton is cooked through and the juice has dried up. Finally, sprinkle with chopped green onion and serve.
Warm reminder:
(1) Control the heat: When stir-frying the mutton, the heat should not be too high to avoid the meat becoming too tough.
(2) Amount of condiments: Adjust the amount of condiments according to personal taste.
(3) The mutton marinating time should not be too long, otherwise it will affect the taste.
2. Beef:
Beef is warm in nature and has the effect of replenishing deficiency and supporting yang. It is rich in high-quality protein, iron, zinc, vitamin B and other nutrients, which helps to strengthen physical strength, improve immunity, and helps to warm the body and relieve discomfort caused by the cold in winter.
Recommended recipe: Stir-fried beef
Ingredients: beef (tenderloin or alternately fat and lean meat slices); ginger slices; minced garlic; light soy sauce; cooking wine; salt; white pepper; oyster sauce (optional); starch; cooking oil
Steps:
1. Beef processing: Slice the beef, add a little light soy sauce, cooking wine, salt, white pepper, and starch, stir evenly, and marinate for a while.
2. Stir-fried beef: Heat oil in a pot, add minced garlic and ginger slices and sauté until fragrant, add marinated beef and stir-fry quickly until it changes color.
3. Seasoning: Add a little light soy sauce and oyster sauce (optional), and season according to personal taste. There is no need to add salt because it has been added during pickling.
4. Stir-fry: Stir-fry continuously until the beef is cooked through, the juice has dried up, and the meat slices have become tender, then it is ready to serve.
Warm reminder:
(1) Control the heat: Slice the beef thinly and fry it for not too long to keep the meat fresh and tender.
(2) Condiment combination: You can add oyster sauce according to personal preference to add a fresh taste.
3. Leeks:
Leeks are a warm vegetable and are regarded as a good warming tonic in winter. It is rich in vitamin C, carotene, minerals, etc., which helps promote blood circulation and improve the body's resistance. At the same time, its warming and tonic effect can help the body maintain body temperature.
Recommended recipe: Dumplings stuffed with chives
Ingredients: leeks; pork filling; minced onion and ginger; light soy sauce; salt; sesame oil; dumpling wrappers
Steps:
1. Prepare the fillings: Wash and chop the leeks, and mix with the pork Put the stuffing, green onion and ginger into a bowl.
2. Seasoning: Add appropriate amount of light soy sauce, salt and a little sesame oil in a bowl, stir evenly until the filling becomes sticky.
3. Make dumplings: Place the seasoned leek filling in the center of the dumpling wrapper, then fold the dumpling wrapper in half, pinch the edges tightly, and wrap the filling well.
4. Arranging dumplings: When placing dumplings, sprinkle a little dry flour or cornmeal under the dumpling skins to prevent them from sticking.
5. Cook dumplings: Put the dumplings into boiling water. After the water boils again, add a small amount of cold water and boil 3-4 times until the dumplings are cooked.
Warm reminder:
(1) When making dumplings, try to wrap the leek filling evenly to prevent the filling from spilling out during cooking.
(2) When cooking dumplings, adding cold water will help the dumplings not fall apart after cooking.
4. Bean sprouts:
Bean sprouts are rich in vitamin C, vitamin E and trace elements, and have a mild nourishing effect. It is rich in plant protein and dietary fiber, which helps enhance the body's immunity and also has a body-warming effect.
Recommended recipe: Braised bean sprouts noodles
Ingredients: handmade noodles or dried noodles; fresh bean sprouts; minced onions, ginger and garlic; light soy sauce; salt; chicken essence (optional); edible oil
Steps:
1. Braised bean sprouts: Hot pot Pour in an appropriate amount of cooking oil, add the onion, ginger and garlic and sauté until fragrant, then add the washed bean sprouts and stir-fry until soft.
2. Cooking noodles: Boil water in another pot, put in handmade noodles or dried noodles, cook them, take them out and set aside.
3. Seasoning: Place the cooked noodles on the bean sprouts, sprinkle with a little salt and light soy sauce, add an appropriate amount of chicken essence according to personal taste, and then pour a small amount of hot water.
4. Simmer: Cover the pot and simmer for a few minutes until the soup dries up.
Warm reminder:
(1) You can add an appropriate amount of seasoning according to your personal taste, such as pepper, chili oil, etc. to add flavor.
(2) It is best to rinse the noodles with cold water after cooking to avoid sticking.
5. Spinach:
Spinach is rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, iron and other nutrients, which helps to enhance immunity and is helpful in resisting cold. It has a cool nature and is suitable for consumption with warm tonic ingredients to achieve a nourishing effect on the body.
Recommended recipe: Spinach and egg rolls
Ingredients: eggs; spinach; salt; minced green onions (optional); cooking oil
Steps:
1. Process the spinach: After washing the spinach, blanch it in boiling water and remove it. Then squeeze out the water and chop into pieces for later use.
2. Prepare the egg liquid: Crack the eggs into a bowl, add an appropriate amount of salt, and beat into egg liquid.
3. Fried spinach and egg liquid: Pour a little cooking oil into a hot pan, add chopped spinach after heating, quickly stir-fry evenly, then pour in egg liquid, push quickly with a shovel to fully mix the eggs and spinach.
4. Roll the egg roll: After the egg liquid has solidified, use a spatula to push the edges of the egg liquid toward the middle, roll up one side, and then roll up the other side to form a roll.
5. Slice and serve: Place the rolled eggs on the chopping board, wait for them to cool slightly and then cut them into even pieces and place on the plate.
Warm reminder:
(1) After blanching the spinach, squeeze out the water thoroughly to avoid affecting the solidification of the egg liquid.
(2) When stir-frying the egg mixture, stir quickly to fully mix the spinach and eggs.
Eating more "tonifying vegetables" in winter is a traditional concept of health preservation in traditional Chinese medicine. These warming and nourishing ingredients can help the body dispel cold, increase energy in the body, and reduce discomfort caused by cold. The warming effect of mutton and beef, and the nutritional value of leeks, bean sprouts and spinach all provide a variety of choices for winter. However, dietary conditioning needs to vary from person to person, and a reasonable combination is the key. I hope that in this cold season, you can choose appropriate "yang vegetables" to keep your body healthy and warm through the cold winter. Let’s start with the “heart-warming dishes” on the table to nourish the body and keep warm throughout the winter.
Nanxun loves cooking
