Talking About Autumn Drinks on the Autumnal Equinox
Talking About Autumn Drinks on the Autumnal Equinox
Seasonal Dietary Therapy
This day marks the "Autumnal Equinox" among the twenty-four solar terms. Although northern regions already experience autumn winds, southern areas are just beginning to enter autumn.
Autumn diet should focus on nourishing yin, clearing heat, moistening dryness. It is advisable to consume plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits such as Chinese broccoli, tomatoes, snow pear, silver ear fungus, bananas, etc., avoiding overly spicy and dry foods like pepper, chili, fried items. Soups are particularly important during this season due to dry weather. Ingredients should follow the principle of nourishing yin and moistening dryness, commonly including western celery, red radish, sword flower, honey dates, dried vegetables, northern apricot, southern apricot, paired with lean pork, fish, quail, etc. Here is one recommended:
Western Celery Honey Date Fresh Fish Soup
This soup has a refreshing, sweet aroma, benefiting lung and stomach by clearing heat and moisturizing dryness. It is a common family dish at the start of autumn and can assist in treating dry throat, dry mouth, dry cough, scant phlegm, or blood streaks in phlegm, and intestinal dryness with constipation.
[Ingredients] Western celery 750g, honey dates 5 pieces, fresh fish 500–600g, lean pork 120g, ginger 3–4 slices.
Western celery is a seasonal vegetable in autumn and winter, with a sweet taste and cool nature, entering the spleen, stomach, and lung meridians, possessing heat-clearing and dryness-moistening effects. Honey dates are neutral in nature, sweet in taste, entering the spleen, stomach, and lung meridians, benefiting qi, generating fluids, and moisturizing the lungs and stomach. Fresh fish is cold in nature, sweet in taste, entering the spleen and stomach meridians, strengthening the spleen and nourishing yin. Lean pork is neutral in nature, sweet in taste, entering the spleen and stomach meridians, strengthening the spleen and moisturizing dryness. Ginger is pungent and warm, aiding digestion and removing dampness and odor. Combining western celery with honey dates enhances moisturizing effects; pairing fresh fish with lean pork adds spleen-strengthening benefits, enabling proper spleen function and fluid restoration. Together, the soup clears dry heat, nourishes yin fluids, moistens the stomach to relieve thirst, and moistens the lungs to stop coughing.
[Cooking Method] Remove scales and internal organs from fresh fish, wash and drain. Heat oil in a pan, briefly fry the fish, then remove. Wash the lean pork. Clean and prepare the western celery. Place all ingredients into a clay pot with 1200 ml of water (about 12 bowls), boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat for 3 hours. Add a little oil and salt before serving. This soup serves 3–4 people and is suitable for regular consumption throughout autumn.