Sha Shen (glehnia root)- One of Albert Zhang’s favorite Chinese herbs used in his cooking feats
In our continuing series of posts on Chinese herbs for food, we have one simple suggestion from Albert Zhang for a dish to accompany the evening meal. It is called Stew of Duck with Sha Shen. Sha shen is a Chinese herb known for its tradition to nourish the yin. In particular it promotes the production of yin fluids for the stomach and lung and has a history of being used to treat dry cough and dry throat. Sha shen can also be taken in the winter time to help reduce dry skin.
Preparation of Stew of Duck with sha shen
Use about 6-9 grams of the dried glehnia root which can be readily obtained from an Asian grocery store. Wash the duck and immerse into boiling water and cook for 10 minutes. Take and wash and cool. Put the duck back into more more boiling water with half a tea spoon of Chinese rice wine and the sha shen. Make sure there is enough water as it will be stewed slowly for 4 hours. At the end of cooking, some salt can be added for taste.
Albert Zhang of the New Hope Chinese Medicine Clinic also says “Duck meat according to traditional Chinese medicine principles has the property to moisten the liver. The Chinese say, the liver controls the ligaments and tendons, so this stew is good to keep the sinews moist“.
