DAAN Chinese Herbs and Acupuncture

Chef’s in New York are getting ready for new year by preparing special dishes:

“”My parents cook the old school way, but my cooking is kind of east meets west,” admits Lau, finance associate at the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA). “I use pepper whereas they don’t ever even buy pepper. I use salt and they use soy. My cooking is kind of Chinese fusion.”

He exemplifies young cooks of Chinese descent all over the city who are gearing up for this year’s festivities by putting a decidedly contemporary slant on their cooking. They enjoy using ingredients in novel ways - think green tea in an angel food cake - and they’re likely to keep things light, fun and simple.

Certain dishes are always eaten at Chinese New Year, often because they’ve got some connection (what it looks like, what the same sounds like) to wealth and riches. On the menu? Dumplings (”jiaozi”) symbolize prosperity and their crescent shape recalls the shape of ancient Chinese money. Noodles, which symbolize longevity, are always left whole as it’s thought to be bad luck to cut them. The Chinese word for lettuce (”sang choi”) sounds like the word that means “to bring about wealth and riches.” And abundance is symbolized by whole fish (”yue”).

As a child, Veronica Leung, who was born in Shanghai and now is proprietor of Dim Sum Go Go in Chinatown, recalls eating a lot of authentic fare at Chinese New Year. The family ate noodles, fish, lettuce, and turnip cake during the celebration, which would go on for two weeks. Now that she prepares the feast herself, she still likes incorporating lettuce, but done very simply, as in a three-ingredient recipe.

“It is basically cooked lettuce,” Leung explains. “And for the Chinese New Year, it is a must. It means good luck for the year ahead.” “

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Research suggests that ginger has strong anti-oxidant properties and could offer some protection from cancer:

“Chinese scientists say having ginger in the regular diet not only helps treat ovarian cancer but also prevents from its development.

According to the study published in the BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine journal, ginger has antioxidant and cancer-fighting properties.

Scientists believe gingerol extracted from the spicy root has also anti-inflammatory effects which helps regulate the immune system particularly in the time of infection.

Findings show ginger can inhibit the growth and modulate the secretion of angiogenic factors which are known to be responsible for shifting a dormant tumor to a malignant state.

The ginger also inhibits several compounds such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) which are linked with cancer growth.

Scientists claim eating a healthy diet rich in fruit and vegetables, regular exercise and avoiding stress are other effective factors in preventing ovarian cancer. ”

It’s also generally good for warming your body, reliving pain, and calm your stomach:

“As you stroll down the vegetable and fruit aisle of the grocery store, don’t overlook the brown, knobby root that is fresh ginger. If you have never used it before, it is very user-friendly and lends a distinctive taste to dishes.

It may also have health benefits. Suzanna Zick, research investigator in family medicine at the Michigan Health System, reports that “Ginger does appear to have several medicinal qualities.” Examples she cites: Ginger has been shown to warm the body, settle the digestive tract and relieve some types of arthritis.

Researchers are studying whether ginger can be used to prevent nausea caused by chemotherapy, she writes.

Fresh ginger contains a pungent substance called gingerol, a strong free-radical that acts as an antioxidant. It calms nausea by decreasing oxidative products made in the digestive tract that cause nausea to occur.

When ginger is dried and stored, it forms another substance, zingerone. Both gingerol and zingerone have antioxidants and anti-inflammatory effects and may prove to be cancer-protective.

Ginger causes the blood vessels to dilate, which explains its warming effect.”

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Coca-Cola has opened a research center in Beijing to develop new drinks that use Chinese herbs:

“The Coca-Cola Research Center for Chinese Medicine opened within the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences. The academy is the national center for research, health care and education in traditional Chinese medicine, the Atlanta soft-drink giant said.
Coke, the world’s largest maker of non-alcoholic beverages, has a long-term collaboration agreement with the academy, which is overseen by the country’s Ministry of Health.
In a statement Sunday, Rhona Applebaum, Coke’s vice president and chief scientific and regulatory officer, and Hongxin Cao, president of the academy, said the move connects Coke’s global reach and marketing with what Cao called Chinese medicine’s “more holistic view on health.” ”

Tags: East and West, Food by DAAN
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A trip to Boston’s historic Chinatown

“There are plenty of organized trips to neighborhoods such as Beacon Hill and the North End, but Chinatown has yet to be explored by many Boston residents, who only think of the neighborhood as a place to stop for dinner.

Of the many packages being offered by the new InterContinental Hotel, one caught our eye: a culinary weekend with a personalized tour of Boston’s Chinatown led by someone “in the know.”

Presumably, the weekend hotel package, which costs about $1,000 is meant for out-of-towners, but we wondered, who was this insider? What secrets did he/she know about the neighborhood behind the big gate? Are there hidden treasures or little-known attractions that await?”

Tags: Uncategorized, East and West, Food, Culture by DAAN
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A restaurant in Taipei is distinguishing itself by using medicinal Chinese herbs to create yummy and healthy foods:

” What happens when three 20-something female fitness instructors decide to shift careers and enter the culinary business? The answer is a homelike barbecue restaurant that offers a wide variety of grilled delicacies spiced up with healthy sauces prescribed by practitioners of Chinese medicine.

Rarely adopted in other barbecue joints, Chinese herbs are key ingredients in the eatery’s savory sauces, dressings and beverages. The signature teriyaki marinade, for example, is made with various medicinal herbs that are added to the broth.

For those who like their food simple and palatable, the de-shelled shrimp plate (NT$90) comes highly recommended, not just for the competitive price, but also for the simple salt and pepper seasoning that brings out the freshness of the food. The juicy boneless beef sparerib (NT$150) is another favorite that is flavored with sesame oil and the specially concocted blend of Chinese herbs. “

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A healthy diet is discussed.
“I heard such a story.

Some Chinese farmers went to the United States to visit a modern chicken farm. They saw the most advanced coops; the nutritious chicken feedstuff which was processed according to the most advanced formula; they saw the most advanced sciences and technologies which could shorten the period of production of chicken. After returning to China, they immediately swung into action. They established standardized chicken farms, based on advanced technologies they learned of in USA. Their incomes from chickens increased twice.”

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Vietnamese cuisine, like Chinese cuisine, uses lots of herbs and is an important part of a healthy diet:

“Feel drained of energy? Don’t drink that energy drink, said Trung Do, co-owner of Megan’s Noodle House.

Instead opt for a traditional Vietnamese soup to chase away the drain.

“It makes you feel much better,” Do said.

The Vietnamese don’t turn to medicine to cure their ailments, they treat them with herbs. The same herbs the restaurant uses in their Vietnamese and Chinese cuisine.”

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Some yummy recipes for your Chinese New Year celebrations:

“EIGHT Treasure Rice

* 2 cups sticky rice
* 1/4 cup lotus seed
* 1/4 cup red beans
* 1/4 cup green beans
* 1/4 cup black beans
* 1/4 cup red date
* 1/4 cup dried longan (see note)
* 1/4 cup white wood ear or tree fungus mushrooms
* 1/3 cup tapioca
* 1 cup sugar
* Cook sticky rice until done, stirring constantly.

In separate pans, cook lotus seed, and the red, green and black beans until soft and mushy.

Soak red date, cooked lotus seed and dried longan in enough water to cover for 30 minutes.

For the tapioca: Place tapioca pearls into a large bowl. Pour boiling water over the tapioca and allow to soak for 15 minutes or until tapioca becomes clear or transparent.

In a large soup or stock pan, place all ingredients - sticky rice, tapioca, lotus seed red, green and black bean, date, longan, white wood ear, sugar and enough water to cover, about 1 1/2 gallons. Heat to high heat and bring to a boil, then turn down to medium heat, stirring until sticky, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Note: Dried logan, which resemble white cherries, can be found at area Asian grocery stores, as well as other ingredients in this recipe.

Serves 10 or more.”

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Capsaicin, a chemical that gives spicy food its heat, is being studied for its effects on cancer:

“UK scientists have shown that capsaicin, the chemical that burns your mouth when you eat chillies and an active ingredient of over the counter drugs, can kill cancer cells with little or no harmful side-effects.

…

The study that led to this discovery is the first to emerge from a newly formed Nottingham UK-China Collaboration on Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NUKCAM). The collaboration has members from the University of Nottingham and the Chinese National Academy of Sciences, for example Professor De-An Guo, who is head of the Shanghai Research Centre for the Modernization of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Prof Guo is working with Dr Bates to discover why traditional Chinese medicines are successful in treating cancer and other diseases.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is considered an alternative medicine in the west. But in China it is an important part of the public health care system.

The last twenty or so years have seen an increasing interest on the part of the West and China to come together and explore this wealth of knowledge that dates back thousands of years. The main thrust of joint projects, like this one, is to examine the theories and uses of TCM using western scientific methods and tools.

Another important milestone in this East-West collaboration will be when The World Health Organization’s (WHO) initiative to to standardize TCM nomenclature reaches conclusion. It is said to be in its final phases, and there is a paper on this by Tony Reid in the The Journal of Chinese Medicine.

As lovers of Sichuan food and dishes will know, chillies do feature prominently in the Chinese diet, and apart from adding fire and flavour are believed by local followers of Chinese medicine to help ward off the ills caused by their damp and muggy climate.”

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