In winter, many people may experience cold stomach and fear of cold. They would invite some friends and family to have a hot and steaming lamb hot pot. Eating lamb is a good choice for winter health, and according to traditional Chinese medicine, adding a certain ingredient to lamb can double its warming and kidney-tonifying effects.
It turns out that the ingredient that traditional Chinese medicine recommends is cinnamon stewed lamb. Adding cinnamon to the lamb stew can enhance its effects.
1. Some Taboos when Eating Lamb
1. Avoid drinking tea with lamb.
Tea is the "enemy" of lamb. Lamb contains a high amount of protein, while tea leaves contain a lot of tannic acid. Drinking tea while eating lamb can produce tannic acid protein, weaken intestinal peristalsis, reduce bowel movement and cause constipation.
2. Do not eat lamb with vinegar.
The sour taste of vinegar has a contracting effect and is not conducive to the generation of yang qi in the body. Eating lamb with vinegar will greatly reduce its warming effect.
3. Do not eat lamb with pumpkin.
It is recorded in ancient Chinese medical texts that lamb should not be eaten with pumpkin. Both lamb and pumpkin are warm and hot foods. If they are eaten together, it can easily cause excessive internal heat. Similarly, when cooking lamb, it is also advisable to use less spicy and hot seasonings such as chili, pepper, ginger, cloves, and fennel.
4. Avoid eating watermelon after lamb.
Eating watermelon after eating lamb can easily "injure the vitality". This is because lamb is warm and dry, while watermelon is cold and belongs to raw and cold foods. Eating watermelon not only greatly reduces the warming effect of lamb, but also hampers the spleen and stomach.
5. Some conditions are not suitable for eating lamb.
People who frequently suffer from oral ulcers, red eyes, bitter taste in the mouth, irritability, dry and sore throat, swollen and painful gums, or diarrhea, or those who take Chinese medicine containing pinellia ternata or acorus calamus should avoid eating lamb.
2. The Efficacy of Cinnamon Stewed Lamb
It turns out that lamb in this recipe is a warm and nourishing food that is beneficial for kidney yang. For those with kidney yang deficiency, eating lamb in moderation is beneficial. Cinnamon is a warm Chinese medicinal herb that can also warm the yang qi. More importantly, it can penetrate deeply into the meridians and directly warm and nourish the true yang of the kidneys. Therefore, adding cinnamon to lamb stew can enhance its effects.
It is not advisable to consume this method for a long time. It can be stopped after symptoms such as cold hands and feet and cold stomach improve, to avoid excessive internal heat. Especially for those who are prone to internal heat and have a tendency towards yin deficiency, it should be avoided.
3. Tips for Preparation:
1. Radish method to remove the gamey smell: Poke several holes in white radish, put it in cold water and cook it together with lamb. After boiling, remove the lamb and cook it separately to remove the gamey smell.
2. Rice vinegar method to remove the gamey smell: Cut the lamb into pieces and put it in water, add some rice vinegar, boil it and remove the lamb, then continue cooking. This can also remove the gamey smell of lamb.
3. Mung bean method to remove the gamey smell: When cooking lamb, adding a small amount of mung beans can also remove or reduce the gamey smell of lamb.
4. Curry method to remove the gamey smell: When cooking lamb, adding an appropriate amount of curry powder, generally half a packet of curry powder for 1000 grams of lamb, can cook a curry lamb without gamey smell after being fully cooked.
5. Cooking wine method to remove the gamey smell: When preparing raw lamb, wash it with cold water several times, slice it, shred it, or cut it into small pieces and put it on a plate. Then, mix 50 grams of cooking wine, 25 grams of baking soda, 10 grams of salt, 10 grams of sugar, 5 grams of monosodium glutamate, and 250 grams of water for every 500 grams of lamb, until the lamb fully absorbs the seasoning. Then, use 3 egg whites and 50 grams of starch to coat the lamb. After a while, the cooking wine and baking soda can fully remove the gamey smell from the lamb.
6. Medicinal herbs method to remove the gamey smell: When stewing lamb, use gauze to wrap crushed cloves, cardamom, nutmeg, perilla, and other herbs. This can not only remove the gamey smell but also give the lamb a unique flavor.
7. Soaking method to remove the gamey smell: Soak the lamb in cold water for 2-3 days, changing the water twice a day, to allow the ammonia substances in the lamb muscle protein to leach out and reduce the gamey smell of lamb.
