Biting winter cold: Traditional Chinese medicine experts teach you how to eat healthily and nourish your body

The public can choose to buy nourishing herbs from licensed herbal medicine shops—staying healthy doesn’t have to be difficult. (Photo / Reporter Chen Rui-zhong)

Reported by Reporter Chen Rui-zhong / Taipei

With the weather getting colder lately, it’s the perfect time to nourish your body. But how can you do it safely and healthily? The New Taipei City Government and the New Taipei City Chinese Herbal Medicine Merchants Association held an event titled “Revitalize Your Vitality, Advance the Industry,” offering the public over ten health-preserving dishes and tea recipes. Professionals were also on-site to explain the properties of various herbs and promote local licensed TCM shops, helping residents stay healthy through the winter.

Accordingto Lin Chun-xia, president of the New Taipei City Chinese Herbal Medicine Merchants Association,food-based nourishment should align with one’s constitution and the season. Many delicious medicinal dishes have become common fare. For example, medicinal spare ribs are a beloved snack among the public, thanks to the easy availability of ingredients and herbs. By simply choosing herbs from licensed TCM shops, anyone can easily DIY at home and adjust portions based on individual constitution to achieve health benefits. It has become one of New Taipei City’s most distinctive snacks. In the future, plans include hosting large-scale medicinal spare rib tasting events and promoting more health-preserving meal kits and herbal tea packages, so more people can enjoy daily vitality through TCM diet therapy.

A dozen health-preserving medicinal dishes are laid out—do they make your mouth water? (Photo / Reporter Chen Rui-zhong)

Attention, moms and grandmas: Medicinal nourishing recipes revealed here!(Recipes provided by the New Taipei City Government Economic Development Bureau)

Medicinal Spare Ribs
3 qian goji berries, 4 qian astragalus, 5 qian red dates, 3 qian angelica, 3 qian polygonatum, 2 qian ligusticum, 3 qian white peony, 4 qian prepared rehmannia, 2 qian psoralea, 3 qian codonopsis, 2 qian cinnamon bark, 2 qian cinnamon twigs, 1 jin pork ribs
1. First decoct the herbs for 1 hour.
2. Blanch the pork ribs to remove blood.
3. Then combine the decocted herbal broth with the ribs and simmer together for 1 hour (simmer with rice wine water).

Polygonum Multiflorum Qi-Boosting Nourishing Soup
5 qian American ginseng, 5 qian goji berries, 1 liang polygonum multiflorum, 3 qian angelica, 5 qian achyranthes, 2 qian ligusticum, 1.5 qian roasted licorice, 1 liang astragalus, 1.5 liang black dates, 1.5 liang red dates, chicken or chicken leg (can add a little rice wine)
1. Blanch the cleaned free-range chicken to remove blood.
2. Add the herbs to the chicken after blanching, and add an appropriate amount of water to stew.
3. Simmer over low heat for 2 hours.

Ginseng Energy Soup
2 qian Japanese ginseng, 2 qian Korean ginseng, 18 qian astragalus, 2 qian lily, 2 qian polygonum multiflorum, 1 piece fig, 1 piece walnut, 1 qian eleuthero, 3 qian gastrodia, 5 qian wolfberry, 10 red dates, half or one free-range chicken
1. Clean the chicken, blanch in boiling water, then set aside.
2. Boil all herbs except ginseng, gastrodia, and red dates in 3000C.C. of water for 40 minutes over low heat, then strain and set aside.
3. Place the chicken and the prepared herbal broth into a rice cooker, add a little rice wine, then add the ginseng, gastrodia, and red dates. Add 1 cup of water to the outer pot, and cook until done.

Anoectochilus and Double-Ginseng Soup
1 liang fresh anoectochilus, 3 qian American ginseng, 5 qian Japanese ginseng, 3 qian goji berries, 7 red dates
1. Prepare about 1 jin of chicken, blanch it, then add the herbs and 3000C.C. of water, and simmer together for 1 hour.

Two-Immortal Black-Bone Chicken
5 grams of Erxian glue, 5 grams of Polygonum multiflorum, 3 grams of Angelica sinensis, 5 grams of Rehmannia glutinosa, 2 grams of cinnamon, 10 black dates, and half a black-boned chicken
1. Cut the chicken into pieces, wash, and blanch to remove blood.
2. Place the herbs in the pot, then add the chicken, and cover with half water and half wine.
3. Simmer for 1.5 hours, and add a little salt for seasoning after cooking.

Polygonum Multiflorum Emperor Chicken
3 grams of Angelica sinensis, 3 grams of Polygonum multiflorum, 6 grams of Polygonatum sibiricum, 4 grams of Rehmannia glutinosa, 10 grams of Astragalus membranaceus, 5 grams of Cistanche deserticola, 4 grams of Goji berries, 2 grams of cinnamon, 3 grams of Poria cocos, 0.5 grams of black dates, 5 grams of Codonopsis pilosula, and 3 grams of Morinda officinalis
1. Prepare about 500 grams of chicken, blanch it, then add the herbs and 3000 cc of water, and simmer together for one hour.

Vitality Herbal Egg
3 grams of ginseng, 3 grams of Da Hong Pao, 4 grams of Angelica sinensis, 4 grams of Codonopsis pilosula, 8 grams of Rehmannia glutinosa, 10 black dates, 7 grams of cinnamon, 20 grams of tea leaves, 4 grams of Astragalus membranaceus, 4 grams of star anise, 50 eggs, appropriate amount of soy sauce, a little salt, appropriate amount of rock sugar, and appropriate amount of brown sugar
1. Rinse the eggshells under running water.
2. Boil the eggs, remove them once cooked, let them cool, then crack the shells.
3. Soak the herbal packet in cold water for 30 minutes, bring the water to a boil, then simmer over low heat for 1.5 hours.
4. Add the eggs to the herbal broth along with other ingredients and simmer for 40 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the eggs soak until cooled. Then reheat to boiling, reduce to low heat, and simmer for another 40 minutes before turning off the heat. Repeat this process for 7 days to allow the flavor to infuse.

Angelica Vegetarian Soup
2 grams of persimmon frost, 5 grams of Polygonatum odoratum, 3 grams of Fritillaria cirrhosa, 5 red dates, 2 grams of dried tangerine peel, 5 grams of American ginseng, and an appropriate amount of white fungus
1. Put all the ingredients into a pot, add 2000 cc of water, and simmer over low heat for one hour.

Nourishing American Ginseng and Yam Chicken
3 grams of Goji berries, 4 grams of Astragalus membranaceus, 5 grams of Codonopsis pilosula, 3 grams of Polygonatum odoratum, 3 grams of Angelica sinensis, 2 grams of ginseng, 3 grams of Cinnamon twig, and 4 grams of red dates
2 grams of roasted licorice and chicken
1. First decoct the herbs for one hour.
2. Blanch the ribs to remove blood.
3. Then combine the refined herbal broth with the ribs and simmer together for one hour (simmer with rice wine water).

Gastrodia and American Ginseng Soup
3 grams of Gastrodia elata, 4 grams of American ginseng, 3 grams of Ligusticum chuanxiong, 5 grams of Goji berries, 4 grams of Ophiopogon japonicus, 3 grams of Angelica sinensis, 4 grams of Cinnamon twig, 4 grams of Eucommia ulmoides, 5 grams of red dates, and an appropriate amount of chicken pieces
1. Wash the ingredients and place them in a pot.
2. Add water to cover the ingredients, include one bowl of rice wine, and simmer for one hour.

Vitality Nourishing Dry Tea
2 grams of Anoectochilus roxburghii, 5 grams of Bupleurum chinense, 5 grams of Paeonia lactiflora, 3 grams of Glycyrrhiza uralensis, 5 grams of Gynostemma pentaphyllum, 3 grams of Aurantium, 10 grams of Artemisia capillaris, and 10 grams of Astragalus membranaceus
1. Rinse the herbs briefly under running water.
2. Soak in 8000 cc of cold water for 30 minutes.
3. After bringing it to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about 40 minutes.
4. Adding rock sugar enhances the flavor.

Seasonal Health Tea
Astragalus 4 oz, Goji berries 3 oz, Red dates 3 oz, American ginseng 3 oz
1. Add 1800 ml of water.
2. Bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Strain the herbal decoction (can be refrigerated and consumed in portions).

Cooling and Detoxifying Tea
Ophiopogon japonicus 0.9 oz, Wolfberry 1.5 oz, Cassia seed 3 oz, Polygonatum 0.9 oz, Gynostemma 0.3 oz, American ginseng 0.3 oz, Chrysanthemum 0.6 oz, Rock sugar to taste
1. Use 2000–3000 ml of water.
2. Boil the water, add the herbs, then simmer over low heat for 30 to 40 minutes. Turn off the heat, strain, and add rock sugar. Simmer for another 10 minutes. Can be served hot or cold.