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November 17, 2016

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Home » City specials » Hangzhou

Warming winter treats to nourish the stomach

By Wu Huixin | November 17, 2016, Thursday | Print Edition

LAST week was the beginning of the solar term known as Lidong, which traditionally marks the arrival of winter. In traditional Chinese medicine, winter is the best time to nourish the stomach, which is vulnerable to sickness when the temperature drops.

Tummy-friendly recipes vary according to regions. Hangzhou locals prefer homemade dishes with common ingredients to nourish the stomach during winter. Today, Shanghai Daily looks at some of these delicious, fortifying foods.

Lamb and mutton, traditionally considered “hot” food, is a popular winter delicacy. Sheep meat is particularly popular because of its fresh smell.

Mutton from the Xinjiang Uygur Antonymous Region and Inner Mongolia Antonymous Region are also favorites in local markets. In addition, Wuzhen Town in northern Zhejiang Province also produces delicious mutton. The local sheep are fed chiefly on straw, fresh mulberry leaves and grasses, which in turn makes the meat tender and gives it a pleasing aroma.

Seasonings and recipes are used sparingly because as long as the meat is good, the dish is good. Cooks just boil it and only add salt. There is no need for any other seasoning. This method of preparation also retains most of mutton’s nutrients.

In local home cooking, radish is an ideal partner for mutton. Its mild taste helps remove grease and adds refreshing flavor to mutton soup.

An old saying exhorts people to “eat radish in winter and savor ginger in summer.” Ginger helps to replenish energy, since sweating saps strength. Radishes help to stimulate digestion in winter. It is dubbed “fair-price ginseng” by virtue of such nutritious value and low price. Also, TCM recommends that people use radish to remove inner toxins since it is considered a natural tonic with detoxifying properties.

 

Where to eat:

• Xibei Youmian Village Restaurant

Address: 560 Jinsha Ave

Tel: (0571) 8990-2727

Black sugar is taken as a common tonic during colder months. Women in general, and new mothers specifically, are advised to drink black sugar water to promote blood circulation and relieve pain.

Meanwhile, black sugar is considered a “warm” food that provides people with hot energy in cold winter. It can nourish the spleen and the stomach, remove inner toxins and balance yin and yang energy.

Sweet potato stewed with black sugar is a popular dessert made at home. Sweet potato is filled with flavonoid, protein and dietary fiber that are helpful against breast and rectal cancer. It can make up for nutrition that is lacking in rice and flour, stimulate digestion and nourish the stomach.

Few restaurants offer this dessert, but making it at home is easy — simply simmer black sugar and sweet potato cubes in water until the sweet potato become soft.

TCM considers winter the best season to sample chestnuts because their enriched nutrients can help replenish energy in cold weather. Usually, people grab sweet chestnuts at roadside food stalls or steam them at home.

Street-roasted chestnuts are one of the most popular snacks in Hangzhou. The air is full of the nutty aroma of roasted chestnuts as vendors everywhere sell bags of hot chestnuts.

The snack became popular in the Liao Dynasty (916-1125) when people started eating them as an essential part of cold weather dietary therapy. Hand roasted chestnuts have been eaten for more than 1,000 years, but today most chestnuts are roasted by machine for the sake of efficiency.

However, some roadside vendors still use giant woks and big ladles to roast their chestnuts. These woks are fueled by firewood and the heat is closely regulated.

Chestnuts are placed in the wok along with coarse sand and syrup. Many Hangzhou natives add sweet osmanthus syrup instead of using white sugar to add a flowery taste. Vendors coat the chestnuts with oil to make them shine.

This snack is usually sold by weight and served pipping hot in a paper bag. The nuts should be peeled and eaten hot. There are hundreds of chestnut vendors in the city and their offerings vary according to the variety of chestnuts, syrup formula and preparation techniques. However, Shengwen Sweet Chestnuts is one of the most popular stores in Hangzhou, where long queues often line up.

 

Where to eat:

• Shengwen Sweet Chestnuts

Address: 178 Hedong Rd

Tel: (0571) 8533-0697

Hangzhou


 

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