At Home with Chinese Cuisine (11 page)

In accordance with the concept of correspondence between nature and human, we are to follow nature and the movement of yin and yang when in pursuit of health. We are an integral part of nature, our bodies need to be attuned to the surrounding environment we are in, and so do the functioning of our internal organs, the five viscera. The five viscera of heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys are where Qi is formed and stored inside the body. The Qi enables the viscera to perform the functions vital to our health. Take the heart as an example. Our heart is the organ for growth and is associated with the summer season when nature is at its peak of growth and full of yang Qi. Summer is the season we are most active physically with outdoor activities. We are influenced by the long daytime hours, and we rest less often. The heart has to work harder in the summer than in other seasons. We therefore need to look after it by providing it with supplementary dietary support.

To find out how to make seasonal dietary adjustment, people turn to the Five Element Theory (Wu Xing in Chinese, also known as the Five Phase Theory) for guidance. This theory interprets the composition and evolution of the universe, demonstrated by the relationship of mutual nourishment and mutual restraint among the five basic elements of nature: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water.
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The interdependence and mutual restraint among the five elements is the manifestation of yin and yang that keeps them in balance and in a constant state of flux. Take a tree for a simple illustration. Tree is wood. There will be no life in a tree without earth, metal (mineral), and water. But the wood can easily be destroyed, turned into ashes in a jungle fire, and become a part of the earth.

This theory is also applied to cover all phenomena in nature. These phenomena can each be divided into five elements that correspond to the five basic elements of wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. The seasons, the colours and taste of the food we eat, and their impacts on our organs are relevant to our discussion on dietary choices. The category of season includes spring, summer, long summer, autumn, and winter. The category of colour has the five elements of green, red, yellow, white
, and black. The five tastes include sourness, bitterness, sweetness, pungency, and saltiness. The corresponding viscera and organs are our liver, heart, spleen, lungs, and kidneys.
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To discuss dietary regime for health, the health of our organs is a good starting point. The table above tells the vertical corresponding elements in different categories and their interaction with each of our organs. It means that a particular organ benefits more from the nourishing quality of foods that have the corresponding colour and taste. The corollary is that in order to look after all our organs for the maintenance of our general health, we need to include food of different colours and tastes in our regular meal. Variety is important for a balanced diet.

The special relationship between our organ, colour, and taste take on further significance when it comes to the corresponding season during which the organ has to work extra hours due to seasonal demands. According to
The
Yellow
Emperor’s
Inner
Canon
, there are five seasons in a year. Spring is the season for the nurturing of yang Qi. Our liver is most active in the springtime, when our body starts to wake up from the winter rest, and one of its main functions is to regulate the flow of Qi inside our body. It benefits from the increased consumption of green-coloured foods (such as the seasonal Chinese chives and young dandelion leaves) and the taste of sourness (such as in green plum, lime, lemon, and vinegar) in the diet. Salad leaves with vinaigrette is a seasonal dish that is simple to prepare.

Summer heat promotes vigorous growth, during which yang Qi reaches its peak. Bitter-tasting food (such as the germ of the lotus seed) and red-coloured food (such as tomatoes and hawthorn berries) are good for our heart, which works hard in the summer. Green asparagus is a spring and early summer vegetable with a cool food property; it can taste a bit bitter sometimes. Lily bulb is available in spring and summer, and it has a hint of bitter taste with a neutral food property. Stir-frying them together creates a seasonal dish for both the spring and the summer.

Many sweet-tasting fruits are ripe in the long (late) summer before the autumn arrives. Numerous yellow-coloured foods such as yellow peach, corn, and courgette are also ready to be harvested, and they are particularly nourishing for our spleen. Finely shredded yellow courgette goes well with garlic in a quick stir-fry. Steamed, simmered, or grilled corn on the cob is a popular street food at this time of the year. The facial expression of biting into a piece of well-chilled, sweet yellow watermelon in the heat of summer is a picture that is worth a thousand words.

Cool autumn is the harvest season when yin Qi starts to become active and yang Qi dissipates. Food with pungent taste (such as from adding spices like SiChuan pepper, black pepper, star anise, or cloves) and white-coloured food (such as radish and Chinese yam) nourish our lungs, especially in this season when the lungs have to work hard to fend off the impact of cold and dry air. Autumn is the season when farmed or wild red meats are at their best. We often prepare a warming autumn dish of beef stew with pungent spices such as black pepper and cloves. White-coloured root vegetable radish complements the taste of beef very well.

Winter is the season to consolidate and to store energy in preparation for the arrival of the next spring. Black-coloured food such as black sesame seeds, wood ear fungi, and food with a slightly higher dosages of salt (such as in dry cured ham or Chinese chive flower paste, which is popular for hot-pot in Beijing) nourish the kidneys during this period of resting.

The
Book
of
Rites,
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a contemporary writing of
The
Yellow
Emperor’s
Inner
Canon,
provides mainstream support for the practice of a moderate increase of a taste in the diet during its corresponding season for the nourishing benefits of the matching internal organ. It affirms that this is a practice that brings the body in harmony with nature. It is not a stand-along dietary regime. It is what one needs to incorporate into one’s regular diet.

With the emphasis on moderation, we are being warned of the long-term, negative effects of excessive seasonal dietary boost harming the organ we wish to nourish.
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According to the book
BaoPuZi,
too much energy accumulated in an organ due to excessive consumption will weaken other organs, owing to the mutual restraint aspect of their relationship; too much excess energy in the liver will “invade” and weaken the spleen, for example. Further, we need to be aware of our health condition before incorporating the seasonal, specific dietary boost into our regular diet. It will not benefit people who are suffering from diseases of the organs – it may worsen the health condition instead.
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An Echo from the West

The discussion of food properties, multiple food sources for one’s regular diet, and the seasonal dietary adjustment is to illustrate how the Chinese eat for health. The seasonal notes from Shanghai and Beijing tell how the Chinese put them all into practice.

While doing the research, I came across the Hippocratic Theory of Humoralism, which was around during the same period as when
The
Yellow
Emperor’s
Inner
Canon
was written in China. This theory was the basis of the medical thinking at the time of the Greek Empire and was also followed by Roman and Islamic physicians. It dominated Western medical thinking up to the nineteenth century.

Hippocrates of Cos (460–370 BC), an ancient Greek physician, was regarded as the father of Humoralism. He theorised that diseases were caused by diet, environmental factors, and living habits. This theory was based on the belief that the body is a microcosm of nature, and that everything was formed of combinations of four elements – air, water, earth, and fire – that correspond to the four qualities of cold, wet, dry, and hot. The combination of the four qualities forms four humours in our body: blood (hot and wet), yellow bile (hot and dry), black bile (cold and dry), and phlegm (cold and wet).

The theory further purported that each humour possesses the qualities of hot or cold and dry or moist, as did the natural produce found around us. The seasons could influence the nature of the humours formed. The equilibrium that existed among the humours was important for physical and mental health, the imbalance of which was the cause of illness. Food is credited as one of the factors for maintaining the balance.

The parallels between the theory of Humoralism and TCM can easily be drawn. The binary dimensions of hot-cold and wet-dry is one; addressing the balance by the principle of opposites is another. Both systems link diet with health and provide a preventive regimen that takes into consideration the medicinal properties of foods. They also share the belief that the human body is an integral part of nature, the well-being of which is linked to our diet, our body, and the environmental in which we live.

The examples of coincidental and independent development of ideas and practices in different parts of the world at similar points in time are numerous in the history of civilization. The sense of familiarity comes across so often in my exploration of different food cultures. We now live in a period of rapid globalization with increasing cross-border flows of not just capital, goods, and services, but also people, knowledge, and ideas. The platform for a borderless gastronomical culture exchange is right in front of us for the taking.

Seasonal Notes from Living in Beijing and Shanghai

Spring usually makes a brief appearance in Beijing; one can only detect its presence by the appearance of the new shoots on the trees, especially the willows. The temperature remains in single digits centigrade in the early spring, but different varieties of bean sprouts are ushered to the edge of the vegetable counter with the hint of nostalgia. In the old days, they were one of the few sources of fresh green when the cold winter months made outdoor agricultural activities impossible, and people had to rely mainly on the stock of different preserved vegetables. Most of the bean sprouts have a cool or cold food property, and they are often stir-fried with meat that has a warm or hot food property (such as chicken or beef). We now know that bean sprouts are a good source of vitamin C, iron, and protein. We love them not just for their filling the void in the choice of early spring vegetable but also for their nutritional value.

The young shoots of Chinese toon, sold in a bunch, are at their best in mid-spring in Beijing. They come and quietly disappear at such a speed as soon as the farmers sense the heat of late spring that promotes rapid growth and causes the delicate young leaves to lose their appeal. It is an acquired taste with a unique aroma that either attracts or repels people. In my family, we enjoy having the chopped young shoots with soft bean curd and preserved eggs, accompanied by a small quantity of garlic puree and naturally fermented dark soy sauce. It is usually served chilled.

March and April are the best time to enjoy Chinese chives. There is an old saying that they are aromatic and tender in the spring, pungent in the summer, bitter in the autumn, and sweet in the winter (if you can find them). They are rich in dietary fibre, B vitamins, vitamin C, calcium, protein, carotene, and iron. With its warm food property, it has been used in the Chinese dietary therapy for the promotion and restoration of the circulation of Qi, which is important for health in the spring. They are a humble yet versatile vegetable that goes well with all sorts of stir-fried red meat, bean curds, and seafood dishes. Those who love them enjoy their pungent taste, reminiscent of garlic and black pepper, and their aroma from the mustard oil they contain.