It is the "fat loss king" in autumn, nutritionists love it, don't miss it!

Food is the most important thing for people, and diet has a huge impact on health. When it comes to food that is good for the body, many people's first reaction is "seasonal food".

Today I would like to introduce to you a seasonal food called "cholesterol carrier" by Professor Yu Kang from the Department of Clinical Nutrition of Peking Union Medical College Hospital - taro.

The "underground treasure" is taro

Taro not only has a soft texture and rich nutrition, but also has high medicinal value.

According to Chinese medicine, taro is sweet and spicy in taste, neutral in nature, and can benefit the spleen and stomach, regulate the middle qi. It is a nourishing food ingredient, especially suitable for patients with weak spleen and stomach, intestinal diseases and those in the recovery period. Many nutritionists even use taro as a common medicinal staple food for the prevention and treatment of cancer. Unlike general nourishing foods, taro has a "laxative" effect while "toning". Therefore, eating taro regularly can also have the effects of resolving phlegm and nourishing the lungs, dispersing stagnation and regulating qi, and clearing the intestines and bowels.

Modern nutrition science believes that taro is rich in mucus saponins and a variety of trace elements, which can increase appetite, aid digestion, and enhance immunity. It is suitable for people with problems such as fatigue, mental depression, shortness of breath and sweating, repeated colds, and premature aging.

More importantly, taro is rich in soluble dietary fiber, which can help us excrete excess fat and cholesterol in the body and delay the body's absorption of excess calories. It is not only beneficial for weight loss, but also can be used to replace part of the staple food to relieve physical discomfort caused by abnormal blood sugar and blood lipids.

So don’t miss it this fall.

How to Pick Taro

1

Look at the appearance

Choose taro that is evenly shaped and undamaged, peel off the skin, and carefully observe whether it is moldy, dry, hard, or has spots.

2

Pinch

Fresh taro often has a smell of earth and feels hard when pinched. If it is soft, it means it is not fresh.

3

Weigh with your hands

Weigh the same size taro with your hand. The lighter it is, the higher the starch content of the taro is, the less water it has, and the doughier it tastes. The heavier one has more water, and the texture and taste are not as good as the lighter one.

4

See trachoma

There are usually many small pits with soil in the root area, which are called sand eyes. Generally, taro with more sand eyes tastes better, while if the surface looks smooth, the taste is average.

5

Look at the roots

Use a knife to make a small cut at the root of the taro. If a sticky white liquid flows out and quickly dries up and becomes powdery, it means the taro is of good quality.

6

Look at the texture

Generally, merchants will cut large taro in half for sale. At this time, you have to look at its cross-section: the denser the purple-red lines, the better, which means the taro is chewy; the sparser the lines and the more blank spaces there are, the less delicious the taro is.

How to cook taro

There are many ways to eat taro, including boiling, steaming, simmering, roasting, roasting, stir-frying, and braising. Here are some taro dishes that are suitable for home cooking.

1

Sweet Osmanthus Taro

Ingredients: 5 fresh small taro, a small amount of baking soda, and appropriate amounts of lotus root powder and osmanthus sauce.

Method: Rinse the small taro to remove the mud and sand on the surface, steam it in a steamer for 5-10 minutes, peel it and cut it into pieces after it is cooked; boil the processed taro pieces over high heat, then simmer over medium-low heat, and add a little alkaline noodles to brighten the color. Pour an appropriate amount of lotus root powder into a small bowl, mix it with cold water, and add it when the taro is soft to increase the thickness. Add osmanthus sauce and stir well.

Efficacy: It can strengthen the spleen and stomach, replenish the middle and benefit the qi, stimulate appetite and enhance the body's immunity.

2

Taro paste

Ingredients: 300g taro, 150g purple sweet potato, 30g white sesame, 20g white sugar, 20ml milk, 10g butter, 5 red dates, 3 lotus seeds and 3 hawthorns.

Method: Wash and peel the taro and purple sweet potato, steam them together until they are soft when poked with chopsticks. Add white sesame seeds, white sugar, milk, and butter, and blend in a food processor until there is no graininess. Cook the lotus seeds and hawthorn, and after the taro paste is served, decorate it with red dates, hawthorn, and lotus seeds.

Efficacy: The delicate sweet taro paste can stimulate people's appetite.

3

Roast duck with taro

The taro is soft, fragrant and sticky, and paired with the plump duck, it is both healthy and delicious.

Method: Peel the taro, wash and cut into pieces. Cut the duck into pieces and blanch it in boiling water, then remove it. Heat oil in a pan, sauté the scallion and ginger, add the taro and fry until the surface is slightly yellow, then remove it. Add the duck meat and stir-fry until the surface is slightly yellow. Add taro, dark soy sauce and sugar to color it. Add hot water to cover the ingredients, add star anise, chili, salt, and scallion segments, bring to a boil over high heat, simmer over low heat until the soup is thick, and sprinkle with chopped scallions.

4

Steamed Pork Ribs with Taro

Method: Peel the taro, clean and cut into pieces, add a little salt, soy sauce, sugar, oil, starch and mix well with the marinated ribs, then pour a little sesame oil on it. Steam in a pot for about 15 to 20 minutes.

5

Chive Taro

Preparation: Wash the small taro with the skin, steam it in a pot and peel it. Heat oil in the pot, add the white part of the scallion and stir-fry until fragrant, pour in the taro and stir-fry, add water, salt and sugar and bring to a boil, cover, and simmer on low heat for 5 to 6 minutes. Stir-fry in the middle to prevent sticking to the pot. When the soup becomes slightly paste-like, sprinkle with chopped scallions and serve.

6

Steamed taro

Wash the taro, add appropriate amount of water to the pot, and put it in the steamer. Steam until the taro can be easily pierced with chopsticks, peel it and eat it for breakfast.

7

Cabbage and taro stew

Wash and peel the taro, put it into the cooked green vegetables or cabbage soup, cook for 10 minutes, and add salt.

8

Frosted Taro

Wash and peel the taro, and cut it into long strips. Heat oil in a pan, fry the taro until the surface is slightly golden, then remove it. Take another wok, pour water and white sugar and stir-fry until the syrup bubbles and thickens, add minced garlic, taro, and white vinegar and stir-fry until the syrup is evenly coated on the taro strips, then turn off the heat. Continue to stir-fry until the surface of the taro is frosted.

9

Cooked Taro

Wash the taro, boil it in water, peel it and slice it for later use. Heat oil in a pan, add some shallots and dried chili segments to sauté, add the sliced ​​taro and stir-fry until the surface of the taro turns golden brown, then add a little salt.

10

Candied Taro

Wash and peel the taro, cut into pieces, and deep-fry until the surface is golden brown, then remove and drain the oil. Take another wok, add a little oil, add an appropriate amount of white sugar, simmer over low heat until it is completely melted and bubbles appear, then add half a teaspoon of vinegar, simmer until the color of the sugar turns yellow, then from yellow to red, and turn off the heat immediately. Then add the fried taro, stir-fry, evenly coat it with syrup, and serve while hot.

Source: Health China WeChat, Capital TCM and the Internet