As the fires in our area continue to rage, we are sending prayers to those families that have been affected and send deep gratitude to all of our front line heroes. As we face weeks of smoke exposure in the Bay Area, steamed asian pears are the the perfect preventative food and medicine dish as a treatment for smoke exposure. This dish is one of my favorite Chinese medicine recipes. You could say it’s a healthy dessert. This is a traditional remedy for lung problems and is often prepared for children with a cough. It can have immediate effect on improving coughs, asthma, or any common lung issues. It is the perfect preventative dish as we faces weeks of smoke exposure in the Bay Area. This is also a great dish for the fall time and may be part of your home care prescription for us each fall.
There's a little bit of a funny story about how this became one of my favorite dishes. In Chinese medicine school my teachers would always talk abut this recipe and how good it tastes. I tried it a few times with a Bosc pear and dutifully gulped it down. It was so mushy and flavorless! I thought to myself that my teachers must really be missing out if they think this is great! Then one day my son had a bad cough and I remembered this recipe. I was out of pears, but I had a few Asian pears so I cooked them up for him. I tasted a small piece before serving him and it was like heaven on earth! Of course! An Asian pear is just a pear in Asia! I had been using the wrong fruit all along! I hope my American patients can now enjoy the truly traditional recipe though my trial and error.
Another common reason to eat steamed pears is to beautify the skin. So many reasons to enjoy this healthy and sweet dish.
When I choose ingredients for this dish, it is worth going to the farmer’s market or the store where you find the freshest produce. Those extra large asian pears you find at Costco or those from stores that don’t carry great produce i’ve found will result in a bland lack luster dish. It will still help your lungs, but you won’t be dying to make it another time.
Honey is a good choice for any constitution. If you have yellow or green mucous, rock sugar would be more medicinal.
Steamed Asian Pear Recipe
1 Asian pear for each person
Honey or Rock Sugar
1 piece of orange zest (optional)
A steamer insert or double steamer pot
Core the pear and remove the seeds. Leave the base on the pear so that the center becomes a small cup so that the honey stays inside throughout the steaming process. It will end up looking like this.
Don’t cut too big, you only want to remove the seeds and tough part of the core. Add the honey until the center is about 1/2-3/4 full depending on how big of a hole you have made. If you made the whole really big or have a big pear, you should only add about a regular kitchen spoon or so of honey.
Add plenty of water to the base pot of the steamer. Steam for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the size of the pear. Cut up and enjoy along with the broth. This makes a healthy dessert as well!
Mango the parrot says ENJOY OFTEN!
