A bowl of stewed radish with grains to face up to winter

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The beginning of a season used to be solemnly celebrated in ancient China. Even in modern society, without all the rituals, the day is still considered special: spiritually, culturally and in terms of lifestyle.

The “Start of Winter”, the 19th solar term which marks the beginning of winter, is a time when people used to celebrate the harvest and welcome the festivals. With the temperature plunging, food with warm and tender characteristics is preferred at this time of year, in order to keep away the cold air.

For those who want to eat in accordance with the season, and yet expect a healthier food, a vegetarian dish, stewed radish with grains, is on top of our recommendation as the winter comes.

The winter starts on November 7 this year. /VCG Photo

The white radish is a suitable food in the winter, for it is believed to have a mild nature and is nutritious enough during chilly and dry winds. Various types of grains harvested in the autumn are probably the best during the season.

Mix the grains including brown rice, barley, pearl barley and quinoa with water by the ratio of 1:1, and steam it for 40 minutes.

Then peel a white radish and cut it into several lumps. A piece of ginger is also suggested to make the lumps tastier. After that, stream the radish lumps for 30 minutes.

Various types of grains /CGTN Photo

Get 15 grams of oil, and fry two pieces of ginger so the fragrance of the ginger could be stirred out before cooking. Then pour in about 500 ml of vegetarian soup, and put in the steamed radish as well as some canned red beans and sweet niblets.

Put in the steamed grains, and savored it with salt, white pepper and sugar, and then switch to medium heat and braise it for three minutes. Before turning the fire off, add some pumpkin mash into the pot, so that it could have a bit of pumpkin's sweetness.

Some wet green starch is also suggested, to make the soup more thickened and tasty. And the dish is ready. A few onion shoots could be used to decorate the dish.

The stewed radish with grains /CGTN Photo

When winter comes, the sudden chill and dryness could easily cause various types of illnesses. Therefore the Chinese believed that the better way to spend the winter is “to hide from the coldness and preserve the warmness”.

The dish, providing rich warmth, vitamin and nutrition, is probably a good choice for those who preferred to eat light while keeping healthy.

Give it a try now, as the winter is here.