by Tamara Roe, L.Ac.

Farsi Takari

There are those certain recipes that we’ve collected over the years
that represent more than simply a meal. These special dishes are
often the ones we’ve learned to make from watching people we love cook
the dish over and over again. They are our own personal comfort food,
and they remind us of special people, or holidays, or seasons. These
recipes tie us to our past and symbolize our connection to the special
friends or family who shared their special recipes with us.

For me, that recipe is a butternut squash stew called farsi takari.
It was taught to me by 2 Nepalese women I worked for in college.
These sisters own a wonderful restaurant in Madison, WI, and I worked
for their family for years. Everything on the menu is deliciously
homemade, every recipe a family tradition brought over from Nepal. I
remember Sundays were always farsi takari day, and I aimed to eat in
their tiny restaurant every single Sunday.

Before I left Madison, I spent one morning in the kitchen with one of
the sisters, and she showed me how to make this simple, but delicious
dish.

Ingredients:

5 cups of butternut squash cut into 1 inch cubes*
1 medium white or yellow onions sliced
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
2-3 gloves of garlic minced
3/4 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 bag of organic frozen peas
olive oil
salt and pepper

-In a large sauté pan slowly heat up a couple tablespoons of olive oil.
Throw in the mustard seeds. Cook them until they are golden brown, being
careful not to burn them (also, they like to pop around, be careful).
Next add in the garlic and sauté until
brown.

-Then add in the onion. Saute until caramelized, and then add the
squash. When you add the squash to the
pan, you will also want to add more olive oil and perhaps some water. Keep
the squash moist and simmer in a covered pan. It will take the squash
about 15 mins on medium
heat to cook. You’ll want the squash to be fully cooked. It should
have a very soft and mushy in consistency. The onions should be translucent.

-Now begin to season with the cumin, turmeric, salt and pepper to taste.

-Finally add the peas and stir until fully cooked.

Serve with rice or roti.

*I just used flash frozen cubed organic butternut squash for the first
time, and it was great. It cut the prep time in half.

Medicinal properties of this dish:
mustard seeds: supports respiratory health and relievers cough,
asthma, and chest tightness
turmeric: great pain reliever for anything from acute trauma to
menstrual pain. recently found to fight brain cancer, too
garlic: a great natural antibiotic
cumin: helps to regulate digestion

by Tamara Roe. L.Ac.

The winter is our foundation for reflecting and starting a new year, and the Kidneys are the foundational energy in the body from which we spring forward into health. It is the deepest energy in the body that is called upon during the darkest days of the year.  When we shift into the winter season, this system becomes more vulnerable and Chinese medicine aims to enhance and restore balance during the winter for optimal health and immunity throughout the year.

As we move towards winter, we begin layering up (even more than we San Franciscans normally do).  You can nourish and support your system by layering the Kidneys with warmth and protection.. When cold assaults the Kidneys, our whole system can go latent . When you walk into Acupuncture Kitchen, especially this time of year, you will undoubtedly notice the earthy and pungent aroma of moxibustion, from our use of an herb called  mugwort,

Types of Moxa therapy you may receive at Acupuncture Kitchen:

Direct Moxa:
With direct moxibustion, a small, cone-shaped amount of moxa is placed on top of an acupuncture point.  The cone is placed atop the cream, carefully burned, and safely extinguished before the cone’s ignited base touches your skin.  You will experience a pleasant heating sensation that penetrates deeply into the channels of the body.

Indirect Moxa:
For this type, we light a compressed stick of moxa and moves it like a wand over the area of the body being treated. The practitioner will warm acupuncture points, segments of meridians, and large areas of the body. This encourages the flow
of Qi and blood, while also supporting oxygenation and circulation to different areas of the body.
Very notably, Using a moxa stick to warm a point on the little toe has been used successfully for centuries to turn a
breech baby during the 3rd trimester. A recent study lends support to this time-tested therapy:

Needle head moxa:

This is another type of indirect moxibustion, and it combines acupuncture and moxa. A needle is inserted into an
acupuncture point. The handle of the needle is then wrapped in moxa and ignited, enhancing the effect of the acupuncture point.

Moxa Box:
My personal favorite moxibustion therapy is the moxa box. It’s a small, handmade wooden box that we place loose moxa (a refined, fluffy version) in. The moxa slowly smolders, conducting heat onto the abdomen or low back.

Overall moxa is good for:

• Winter immune building
• Treating allergies
• Hormone balancing
• Menstrual cramps
• Low libido/erectile dysfunction,
• Fatigue
• Pain

Studies using Laser Doppler Perfusion Imaging (LDPI). have supported the benefits of moxa, showing an increase of capillary blood perfusion in the local areas of moxibustion.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21563506

Moxibustion is an integral part of TCM. It’s a therapy that is exceptionally effective and particularly important this time of the year. It provides a soothing warmth, and it kindles our body’s hearth as we move into the coldest part of the year.

Kirsten in the Kitchen has made this special recipe for you:

Like every season, Fall brings its rewards as well as its struggles. We’re stumbling home from the office in the dark, trudging towards the promise of Winter Solstice and the lengthening days, but that can feel a long way away. After the heat of summer, but before the rains begin, the natural world is dry and brittle, and most of us are feeling the same. Traditional Chinese Medicine associates each season with an organ and a pathogen, and Fall is connected to the Lungs, and dryness. In the clinic, and on the street, we’re seeing scratchy throats, dry noses, cracked lips, itchy skin, and all the other discomforts of dryness. We’re all more susceptible to coughs, colds, and flus at this time.If you haven’t come in for acupuncture or refilled your herbs in a while, this is the time to pop in for an immune system tune-up. At home, your kitchen is filled with remedies – the reward of the Fall season is the bounty of produce overflowing in the farmers market, much of it with medicinal, as well as tasty, qualities! Emphasize moist, warm foods like soups and stews over grilled and baked, to bring moisture into your body. White foods are traditionally associated with Lung health, and steamed or poached white fish like cod or haddock is a delicious dinner that will nourish your lungs.

Pears, a Chinese folk remedy for the Lungs, have gotten a boost in recent years from studies investigating their helpfulness in preventing and treating allergies, asthma, and even lung cancer! Eating a pear a day during the Fall is an easy and delicious way to buffer your Lung system and ease dryness. Step things up with this tasty dessert, easy enough for a week night dinner, and delicious with hot cereal for a quick breakfast. You can use any kind of pear that looks nice at the market, so-called Asian pears, rounder, sweeter, and more crisp than other varieties, are available from local growers in the Bay Area and are even more moistening. Haute cuisine recipes call for peeling pears before poaching, but the skin contains many of the valuable phytonutrients that give pears their healing properties – I leave the skins on.

 Poached Pears – serves 4

4 pears, any variety

Water or tea to cover, about 4 cups (try Earl Grey for an elegant taste)

Spices to taste: try cinnamon stick, fresh ginger, and star anise

For Asian pears, use an apple corer to hollow them. Regular pears can be cut in half and the core scooped out. Bring water or tea to a simmer in a medium sauce pan – add the pears and simmer gently for 20-30 minutes, until the pears are soft and easily pierced with a fork. Lift out with a slotted spoon. Delicious with a drizzle of honey, a natural antimicrobial and lung moistener.

Pears and Allergenic Asthma: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15253858

Pears and Asthma in Children: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12936923

Pears, Apples and Lung Cancer Risk: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17487840