Healing recipes

/ Courtesy of Media Will

Chija-nokdu Bindaeddeok: Mung bean and gardenia seed pancake

In the summer, many people get sick from exposure to air conditioning due to the huge gap between outdoor and indoor temperatures. However, this is preventable depending on how you manage your health.

Imagine you have a headache and your hands feel cold, being exposed to too much air conditioning in the office in summer. Then what should you choose for lunch? The best option is light and warm food. Cold, hard to digest foods like “mulnaengmyeon,” or buckwheat noodle in cold beef broth, are the worst choices.

Even people with no digestion problems feel their abdomen turning cold when they are exposed to cold wind for hours. Eating cold food in this situation will stress the stomach, leading to indigestion.

Likewise, after excessive perspiration, your body temperature falls and your digestion becomes sluggish. The saying “Iyeolchiyeol,” or fighting fire with fire, applies to such circumstances. After perspiring too much on a hot day, your body is cold inside and you have to balance the temperature with warm food.

Another problem people may face in summer is skin irritations. As your body heat rises, people who are tired or those with a weak liver detoxification can suffer hives, rashes and furuncles. They are caused by “yeoldok,” or toxins brought on by the heat. When you have skin trouble due to yeoldok, you should avoid foods rendered to have hot characteristics in Oriental medicine such as chicken, or spicy and greasy dishes.

“Nokdu,” or mung beans, are effective for detoxification. They soothe skin irritations and ease symptoms associated with toxins. However, nokdu aren’t recommended for people with diarrhea or who are underweight as it is considered a food with cold characteristics in Oriental medicine. “Chija,” or gardenia seeds, are also effective in controlling heat. They help women deal with menopausal symptoms like flushing, sleeplessness and dry skin as well.

The chija and nokdu bindaeddeok (mung bean and gardenia seed pancake) recipe below will bolster strength in the summer, decrease yeoldok, prevent skin disease, refresh the body and relieve stress.

Ingredients

(to serve four people)

You will need a cup of nokdu, or mung beans; one chija, or gardenia seed; a half cup of water; one sixth of a cup of glutinous rice flour; 50 grams of “gosari,” or bracken; 50 grams of “sukju,” or bean sprouts; 50 grams of clams; 50 grams of oyster; a half a squid; 70 grams of chopped kimchi; two tablespoons of chopped small green onions; chopped red pepper; and some vegetable oil.

For the seasoning of the nokdu, you will need a half teaspoon of sesame oil, one eighth of a teaspoon of salt and a dash of sesame seeds.

For the seasoning of the gosari and sukju, you will need a half tablespoon each of salt and sesame seeds, a teaspoon of sesame oil and a dash of black pepper.

Steps

1. Soak the nokdu and chija separately in water for six hours. Afterward dehydrate them separately in a sieve.

2. Grind the nokdu with half of the water in which the chija were soaked and add seasoning.

3. Clean the clams, oysters and squid. Slice the squid after peeling off the skin.

4. Soak the gosari and sukju in water. Parboil them, wash them and cut them into 3-centimeter pieces.

5. Put the gosari, sukju, clams, oysters and squid in a bowl and mix them with seasoning and chopped kimchi. Leave the mixture for 20 minutes.

6. Add the grinded nokdu and glutinous rice powder and then knead them into a dough.

7. Grease a heated pan with oil. Take an appropriate amount from the dough and panfry it on a low heat. You can garnish the dough with chopped green onions and red pepper.

This is an excerpt from “Easy Yakseon Recipes” by Wang Hye-moon, a doctor of Korean oriental medicine, published by Media Will.