🌿 Folk Prescriptions

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The fourth season party was successfully held yesterday afternoon. Thank you to Hangzhou Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Guangxing Tang Guoyi Clinic for creating this opportunity.
The party began at 2 PM yesterday. I arrived at Guangxing Tang at 1:40 PM, where readers had already gathered. "Let’s tour first," said the hostess. With her guidance, we wandered from the east wing to the west wing, from ground floor to upper floors. The exquisite carvings and ancient decorations of Liang House captivated us, almost making us forget we were here to learn how to cook medicinal cuisine.
On one table sat nine small bowls of herbs—red, white, black, yellow. I wanted to test the readers, but they immediately shouted out the answers after glancing: goji berries, ginseng, chrysanthemum, eucommia, astragalus, codonopsis, licorice, ophiopogon, poria. All correct! Clearly, they’re all "herb cuisine enthusiasts." On another table lay carp, large shrimp, pork, pig kidneys, pig stomach, mushrooms, greens, and tofu. We posed a challenge: choose herbs and foods to pair, then cook a medicinal dish yourself, followed by evaluation by expert—old TCM doctor Han Zuyuan.
As soon as the task was announced, the room erupted.
"We need ginseng—make fish soup, brain-nourishing."
"Pick pig kidneys—I’m good at stir-frying pig kidneys."
"Then pair with eucommia."
"What to cook with pig stomach? Mushrooms sound good."
Twenty readers split into four groups, bustling energetically. The four foreign friends looked somewhat at a loss. After hesitating, American girl Ma Lin da took the lead. She delicately picked a few large shrimps, three mushrooms, two bunches of greens, and a box of tofu with her delicate fingers. Which herb to pair? She was stuck, so she turned to her fellow Chinese student, Ou Junting. After careful consideration, he grabbed a few goji berries and several slices of astragalus. "Maybe add a bit of chrysanthemum too?" He laughed uncertainly.
Four stoves lit up simultaneously. Stir-fried, boiled, mixed—the kitchen at Guangxing Tang had never been so lively. Sun Ping even removed her coat, donned a chef’s white apron, rolled up her sleeves, and grabbed the wok with enthusiasm. Within an hour, all four groups’ medicinal dishes were ready. Everyone rushed to present their creations to old TCM doctor Han Zuyuan.
First Group: Ginseng Fish Head Supreme
This dish name was created by Sun Ping, Zhang Qixuan, Xie Xianji, and Zhou Huiting. They selected goji berries, ginseng, and ophiopogon. A carp was lightly pan-fried, then stewed into soup, followed by adding yam and the three herbs, finally incorporating tofu. The steaming hot bowl of fish soup looked tempting. Tasting it, the flavor was surprisingly tender and delicious. The team evaluated it as having benefits for brain nourishment, kidney tonification, qi supplementation, and yin nourishment.
Expert Evaluation: Ginseng effectively relieves headaches and nourishes the liver and qi. Combined with fish head, it indeed supports brain health. However, black fish would be better. If using carp, pairing with yam and poria would be more suitable.
Second Group: Eucommia Stir-Fried Pig Kidneys
Chen Yongzhen wasn’t originally selected for this party but came to observe. Unexpectedly, she became the core member of the second group. This team spoke little but worked diligently. Unanimously, they chose eucommia and pig kidneys—"both are kidney tonics," said Chen Caihua. Half an hour later, they completed the task first. The stir-fried pig kidneys were tender and delicious—so much so that even the professional chef nodded in approval. The team members burst into laughter.
Expert Evaluation: Excellent pairing. Eucommia strengthens tendons and bones and tonifies the kidneys. Combined with pig kidneys, which also tonify the kidneys, the dish’s kidney-strengthening effect is enhanced. Cook eucommia first, reserve the broth for use, and discard the residue.
Third Group: Pig Stomach Stir-Fried Yam
When this dish was served, it was mistaken for stir-fried rice cakes. Though plain-looking, it required significant effort inside. Jiang Yeli used a small piece of gauze to make a herbal pouch, stuffing it with goji berries, ginseng, poria, and ophiopogon. During cooking, she added the broth from the pouch. "This medicinal dish can treat indigestion."
Expert Evaluation: Goji berries mainly nourish the liver and kidneys; poria promotes urination, removes dampness, and benefits the spleen and stomach; ophiopogon clears heat and moistens dryness. Overall, this dish does support spleen and stomach health, but adding ginseng makes it too complex.
Fourth Group: The First Snow on West Lake
This dish name is creative, with an English title: BigSurprise (Big Surprise). It was the first Chinese dish cooked by four American friends with translation assistance. "We mashed tofu, mixed it with shrimp meat, greens, and mushrooms. White, green, brown—just like snowfall on West Lake," explained translator Shen Tu Yuqing. Although the dish’s appearance didn’t meet traditional Chinese standards, it was impressive considering the foreigners had to peel shrimp one by one.
Expert Evaluation: This Western-style "medicinal dish" truly puzzled old TCM doctor Han Zuyuan. "Too many ingredients—hard to evaluate," he admitted honestly. He explained that medicinal cuisine follows a principle: one dish should highlight one primary function. For example, to create a brain-nourishing dish, use ginseng; other herbs with spleen-strengthening or lung-clearing effects shouldn’t be added, or they may conflict.
Old TCM doctor Han Zuyuan was the star of yesterday’s party. Readers crowded around him, pen in hand, seeking advice. Han said, "Medicinal cuisine is simple: food plus medicine. A dish of black fungus and tofu is medicinal cuisine, beneficial for hypertension patients. But making good medicinal cuisine is highly complex—it requires the skills of a physician, pharmacist, and chef combined. When learning to cook medicinal cuisine, always remember: food and medicine must complement each other."
While Han was explaining, I secretly learned a simple recipe from Guangxing Tang’s head chef. Interested readers might want to try it:
Huangqi and Shan Yao Three-Slice Porridge
Ingredients: Glutinous rice, japonica rice, salad oil, Huangqi (astragalus), yam, rock sugar
Combine glutinous and japonica rice, add a little salad oil, mix well, and let sit for half an hour. Wash and slice Huangqi and yam. When water boils, add rice, Huangqi, yam, and cook over high heat for half an hour, then low heat for another 1.5 hours. Add a little rock sugar before serving. This porridge can also be made in a pressure cooker.
Eat this porridge as a snack twice daily (morning and evening). It has benefits for strengthening the middle energizer, boosting qi, and improving spleen and stomach function.