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A Spoonful of Ginger : Irresistible Health-Giving Recipes from Asian Kitchens
From Nina Simonds, the best-selling authority on Chinese cooking, here is a groundbreaking cookbook based on the Asian philosophy of food as health-giving. The 200 delectable recipes she offers not only taste superb but also have specific healing properties according to the accumulated wisdom of traditional Chinese medicine.
The emphasis is on what's good for you, not bad for you. It's primarily a question of balance: eating in harmony with the seasons; countering yin, or cooling, foods (spinach, tomatoes, asparagus, lettuce, seafood) with yang, or hot, foods (ginger, garlic, hot peppers, beef) and neutralizers like rice and noodles.
Feeling tired? Ms. Simonds offers a spoonful of ginger in her hearty chicken soup. A cold coming on? Try Cantonese-Style Tofu (to sweat out the cold) in Black Bean Sauce (healing to the lungs and digestion). Your immune system needs building up? Wild mushrooms (a cancer deterrent) are tossed with soba noodles (a stress reliever). Concerned about cholesterol and clogged arteries? Instead of giving up all the foods you love, indulge in Yin-Yang Shrimp with Hawthorn Dipping Sauce.
Whatever your health concerns may be, you will find the right restorative and satisfying recipes. Babies and toddlers have special needs, as do adolescents, pregnant and menopausal women, the aging--and all of these are addressed with specific recommendations. The wealth of information Nina Simonds offers here derives from her extensive research into the evidence amassed over three thousand years by practitioners of Chinese medicine, and from her interviews with leading experts today in food as medicine, who offer their firsthand testimony.
It is all here in this remarkable book. But, above all, it is the range of dishes, from the exotic to the earthy, that will convince you that you can enjoy marvelous food every day--relishing its good taste and knowing it is good for you.
The emphasis is on what's good for you, not bad for you. It's primarily a question of balance: eating in harmony with the seasons; countering yin, or cooling, foods (spinach, tomatoes, asparagus, lettuce, seafood) with yang, or hot, foods (ginger, garlic, hot peppers, beef) and neutralizers like rice and noodles.
Feeling tired? Ms. Simonds offers a spoonful of ginger in her hearty chicken soup. A cold coming on? Try Cantonese-Style Tofu (to sweat out the cold) in Black Bean Sauce (healing to the lungs and digestion). Your immune system needs building up? Wild mushrooms (a cancer deterrent) are tossed with soba noodles (a stress reliever). Concerned about cholesterol and clogged arteries? Instead of giving up all the foods you love, indulge in Yin-Yang Shrimp with Hawthorn Dipping Sauce.
Whatever your health concerns may be, you will find the right restorative and satisfying recipes. Babies and toddlers have special needs, as do adolescents, pregnant and menopausal women, the aging--and all of these are addressed with specific recommendations. The wealth of information Nina Simonds offers here derives from her extensive research into the evidence amassed over three thousand years by practitioners of Chinese medicine, and from her interviews with leading experts today in food as medicine, who offer their firsthand testimony.
It is all here in this remarkable book. But, above all, it is the range of dishes, from the exotic to the earthy, that will convince you that you can enjoy marvelous food every day--relishing its good taste and knowing it is good for you.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published April 20, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 22, 2015
This cookbook makes sense from a healthy perspective. So why am I not cooking from it? It's my head and need more time to think differently.
June 2, 2010
I got this a long time ago from a former co-worker. It had been sitting on her desk for months and no one claimed it. So I said I'd take it. Lucky me!
It took me about 5 years though to actually sit and read this. For me I have never been a lover of Chinese-American food. I find it greasy, bland and most of it tastes the same. At first I was overwhelmed by how little I knew about Chinese food and didn't have the time to delve into it. Once I did though - boy did I ever get a lesson about Chinese food.
This cookbook transformed me.
Not only does Ms. Simonds have wonderful recipes to incorporate into your life she also puts in all of the wonderful healing properties that the Chinese believe food has for all of us. It was a great read! I read it like a book. I have used many of her recipes. I make the chicken soup quite frequently. It's one of my favorite recipes for soup that I've ever found.
If you're interested in learning more about Chinese cuisine I highly recommend this cookbook.
It took me about 5 years though to actually sit and read this. For me I have never been a lover of Chinese-American food. I find it greasy, bland and most of it tastes the same. At first I was overwhelmed by how little I knew about Chinese food and didn't have the time to delve into it. Once I did though - boy did I ever get a lesson about Chinese food.
This cookbook transformed me.
Not only does Ms. Simonds have wonderful recipes to incorporate into your life she also puts in all of the wonderful healing properties that the Chinese believe food has for all of us. It was a great read! I read it like a book. I have used many of her recipes. I make the chicken soup quite frequently. It's one of my favorite recipes for soup that I've ever found.
If you're interested in learning more about Chinese cuisine I highly recommend this cookbook.
January 9, 2014
I am a big fan of Nina Simonds; my first cookbook of hers was Asian Noodles. There is something about her cooking style, manner of writing, whatever, that appeals to me. I've created many of her recipes from this book and have not been disappointed in any of them. Some personal favorites: tofu in black bean sauce, udon with shrimp, poached pears, any and all of her soup & vegetable recipes, I could go on. I also enjoyed reading her sections on yin/yang food, the seasonal diet, and holistic medicine. Fascinating book all on its own.
June 29, 2007
I haven't hit a bad recipe yet, and furthermore, this book teaches about what foods help with health concerns.
June 23, 2013
I LOVE this cookbook...the recipes look nearly universally tasty and information on the Asian way of using food for health is gently given in abundance. One of my new favorites!
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May 21, 2008it's a good book...with a definite focus on the medicinal properties of food and herbs in chinese cuisine.
January 25, 2009
I like how many of the sauces are technically vegetarian.
October 3, 2015
I love to eat and cook Vietnamese style food so I have some stuff on ginger. This is a fine addition to my shelf.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews