Traditional Chinese Medicine World Foundation

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Taste of TCM

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) understands that all foods have a particular essence that travels to one or more organs. To gain maximum healing benefit from the food you eat, follow the seasons when choosing what to eat. Foods that have an essence that heals the Kidney are most effective when eaten in the winter, the season when this organ system is predominant. So the most beneficial foods and spices to eat at this time of year are black beans, black sesame seeds, cauliflower, cinnamon, pine nuts, walnuts, and seafood, particularly shellfish ("salty"� is the taste that corresponds to the Kidney and the Water element).

Baked Marinated Salmon with Scallions

Delicious and easy to make, this recipe combines two nourishing foods: salmon enhances your Kidney Qi and scallions benefit your Liver. And this is the perfect time of year to make this dish. You can use salmon fillets or steaks, or even the whole fish. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and then bake the fish with this rule in mind: For each inch of thickness of the fish (measuring at its thickest part), bake it for 10 minutes.

Ingredients

Oil for baking (corn oil works well)

4 or 5 scallions, washed and trimmed, then cut in half lengthwise

Marinade (see recipe below)

Salmon (about 1 pound) marinated overnight

Directions

  1. Cover the bottom of a baking dish with oil. (For an 8-inch by 12-inch baking dish use about 5 tablespoons of oil.)
  2. Line the bottom of the oiled dish with about 3/4 of the scallions and spoon about 1/2 of the marinade over the scallions.
  3. Place the fish in the center of the dish on the bed of scallions already covered with marinade.
  4. Spoon the remaining marinade over the fish and toss the remaining scallions over the marinade.
  5. Cover the dish with foil and refrigerate, allowing the fish to marinate overnight (if you are really pressed for time, this step can be several hours, however, the flavor is best when more time is allowed)
  6. Remove dish from refrigerator and bake uncovered at 425 degrees until fish is fully cooked. Serve hot.

The Marinade

This recipe makes about 5 to 6 tablespoons of marinade, which is enough for approximately 1 pound of fish. The various sauces used in this marinade can be found at your local Asian food market.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons of hoy sin sauce

1 tablespoon of oyster sauce

2 tablespoons of soy sauce (try mushroom-flavored soy sauce for a treat)

1/2 teaspoon of fish sauce

2 teaspoons of finely chopped ginger root

Directions

Combine all ingredients thoroughly in a small mixing bowl.