Foods 'n' Herbs

Therapeutic Recipes [ Introduction ] [ Cooking Methods ] [ For Prevention ] [ For Cure ]

The Cooking Methods

The emphasis on medicinal food preparation is on the healthful effects rather than on the culinary art. Most recipes are very easy to make with very simple cooking procedures. Only they require a longer cooking time than usual. The following three methods are the most common in making medicinal recipes.

Making Soup by Simmering

Most herbal decoctions take about one hour, but for making medicinal soup, the slow simmering process requires at least 2 to 3 hours. This is to make sure that the essential nutrients from the ingredients used can be dissolved into the broth. Since the essence is in the broth, it is important to consume all the broth, but it is not necessary to eat the entire solid content of meat or root vegetables, which will only overburden your digestive system. When people are sick, it is important that fewer burdens are placed on the digestive system. The body’s energy can then concentrate on fighting the disease so that you can get better sooner.

For recipes that use a lot of expensive ingredients, such as meat and herbs, the ingredients can be cooked again a second time. After the broth from the first cooking has been mostly consumed, add a few cups of water to the ingredients and cook it again over medium-high heat for about 30 minutes. This can produce another cup or two of the good broth before discarding the ingredients. Make sure to disintegrate the meat during the second cooking so that more of its textures can be easily dissolved into the broth, which makes it much milkier than those from the first cooking.

Making Soup by Steaming

Another method of making medicinal soup is by steaming. This method involves placing all the ingredients together with the right amount of water into a casserole and cover with lid. The casserole is then placed on a stainless steel stand (cooling stand) inside a bigger pot (or a wok) with adequate hot water at the bottom. The water level should reach the lower half of the casserole so that the water can transfer the heat to the casserole and cook the food inside. It is important that the water level should not be too high to avoid water overflowing into the casserole during cooking and diluting the soup inside. The pot or wok should then be covered and cooked over medium-high heat for 3 to 4 hours.

Throughout the cooking, boiling hot water should be added regularly to maintain the cooking and to prevent burning. When it is ready, the soup can be served straight from the casserole.

This method is used for making more expensive and delicate recipes with most of the ingredients to be eaten (especially meat). The slow simmering process will ensure the original taste and tenderness of meat can be preserved. It can also prevent the aroma and the broth from evaporating during cooking. Besides, the direct heat from the stove will not come into contact with the food therefore not alter its nature. This is especially important for extremely weak and sick people who should avoid food with added hot nature from cooking such as deep-frying and grilling.

Steaming is the more sophisticated method in making medicinal soup but requires more attention. For convenience, using slow cooker can be a reasonable and practical alternative. However, the cooking time should be much longer, for at least 6 hours. When using slow cooker, it is important to start the cooking in a regular pot first, bring the contents to a boil for 10 to 15 minutes before transferring the cooking to the slow cooker. This ensures that the soup is at a slow boil from the start and remains boiling throughout the cooking time.

Making Rice Congee

Congee requires less cooking time, from 30 minutes to one hour. It involves cooking rice with more water than usual, together with herbs and other ingredients to make rice soup. It is important that the water is at a boil before rice and other ingredients are put in so that they will not sink to the bottom and burn. Medium to medium-high heat should be maintained throughout the cooking so the ingredients keep rising to the top and not burn. Constant stirring and keeping the lid half or fully open can prevent burning and overflowing. Hot water should be added to the cooking whenever necessary to keep the congee at the desirable thickness.

The resulting congee is semi-solid, soft and most easy to eat and digest.

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Last updated on 03/21/2005