The ancients said: "From time to time, don't eat." "May, at the turn of spring and summer, is the time when everything grows, and it is the season of nature's bounty. In this vibrant month, there is an often overlooked "weed" that grows quietly in the fields, and it is bitter herbs.
According to the "Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica", it is recorded that "bitter herbs are the main five internal organs and evil spirits, and they are tired of grain and stomach paralysis", and Li Shizhen said: "The southerners pick tender people, and they are steamed for vegetable food", which shows that the nutrition of bitter herbs is extremely high.
In this age of healthy eating, we should no longer see it as a useless weed, but rather value it as a gift from nature.
So, how do we turn bitter greens into a delicacy on our table? And how to nourish our body by eating bitter herbs?
01
Bitter herbs, an often overlooked ingredient, are actually a nutritious green vegetable.
It is rich in vitamin C, vitamin K, folic acid, and a variety of minerals such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, and iron. These nutrients are essential for maintaining the normal physiological functions of the human body.
Vitamin C, in particular, not only helps to strengthen the immune system, but also promotes the absorption and utilization of iron. Folic acid, on the other hand, is an essential nutrient for pregnant women and helps prevent fetal neural tube defects.
In addition, bitter herbs are also rich in dietary fiber. Dietary fiber plays an important role in maintaining gut health, preventing constipation, and lowering cholesterol levels.
In the modern diet, dietary fiber intake is often insufficient, and bitter herbs can be used as a high-quality source of dietary fiber.
In addition, bitter herbs also have certain medicinal properties.
From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, bitter herbs have the effect of clearing heat and detoxifying, cooling blood and stopping bleeding, and have obvious relieving effects on symptoms such as dampness and heat in the body.
In the scorching summer, moderate consumption of bitter herbs can help regulate the balance of yin and yang in the body and reduce the discomfort caused by the summer heat.
Modern medical research has also found that a variety of nutrients rich in bitter herbs are beneficial to the health of the body. For example, it is rich in vitamins and minerals, which can strengthen the body's immunity, improve the body's resistance, and help prevent colds and other common diseases.
In addition, the dietary fiber in bitter herbs can also promote intestinal peristalsis, help digestion, prevent constipation, and also have a positive effect on intestinal health.
Incorporating it into our daily diet on a regular basis will undoubtedly add points to our health.
02
There are many ways to eat bitter vegetables, and each cooking method can show its unique charm.
The easiest way to eat it is to eat cold bitter vegetables. Wash the fresh bitter herbs, cut them into suitable lengths, add minced garlic, balsamic vinegar, light soy sauce, salt, sugar, chicken essence and other seasonings, and mix gently.
This cold salad has a refreshing taste with a hint of bitterness, which is perfect for summer consumption, which can cool off the heat and refresh the mind.
In addition to cold salad, bitter herbs can also be used to make soups. For example, bitter vegetable tofu soup is cooked with tender tofu, seasoned with a pinch of salt and chicken essence, and finally sprinkled with some chopped green onions to enhance the flavor.
This soup is light and refreshing, which not only retains the nutrients of bitter herbs, but also allows the smoothness of tofu to be perfectly combined with the freshness of bitter herbs.
Of course, stir-fried bitter herbs are also a very popular way to eat. Cut the bitter herbs into pieces and stir-fry them with minced garlic, dried chili peppers and other seasonings, and you will soon get a plate of green and tempting stir-fried bitter vegetables.
This cooking method can retain the original flavor of bitter vegetables to the greatest extent, so that people can feel a trace of bitterness and fragrance in the tasting.
In addition, bitter herbs can also be used as a filling. For example, when making dumplings and wontons, mix chopped bitter vegetables with meat filling, then add an appropriate amount of seasoning, mix well, and wrap them in the skin.
The cooked dumplings or wontons are delicious, and the fragrance of bitter herbs and the deliciousness of the meat filling are perfectly blended, making people have an endless aftertaste.
In addition to the above several ways to eat, bitter herbs can also be used to make some innovative delicacies.
For example, the bitter vegetable omelette is made by mixing chopped bitter vegetables with egg mixture and frying; Or make bitter vegetable fried rice, chop the bitter vegetables and stir-fry them with rice, which can not only increase the taste but also enrich the nutrition.
It is worth mentioning that bitter herbs can also be used to make tea. The dried bitter herbs are added to the hot water to brew, and after a few minutes, you can taste a cup of fragrant bitter herb tea.
This tea not only has a unique taste, but also has the effect of clearing away heat, detoxifying and refreshing the mind, which is very suitable for drinking in the hot summer months.
In general, bitter herbs can be eaten in a variety of ways, and each cooking method can show its delicious and nutritional value.
Whether it's cold salad, soup, stir-fry or used as a filling, bitter herbs can bring us a different taste bud experience.
In this era of healthy eating, let's eat more bitter vegetables! It not only satisfies our taste buds, but also protects our health.