When All You Can Eat is a Potato

Potatoes are an often underrated healing source of food. After suffering the not so glamorous effects of salmonella (or possibly e coli) poisoning from a contaminated piece of prosciutto, a plain boiled potato with a tiny glaze of good olive oil and a sprinkle of crunchy sea salt was all I could stomach, literally and figuratively. Potatoes are neutral and sweet in the Chinese Medicine world. They are also mildly diuretic, tonify (boost) the digestive function, moisten the intestines, and contain easily accessible carbohydrates when it's difficult for your body to break down food. In addition, potatoes neutralize the acidity in the body and relieve inflammatory conditions whether it be arthritis or in the aforementioned case of gastroenteritis. You can make a juice out of raw potatoes which can be used to reduce all inflammations, applied externally for burns, soothe internal ulcers, as well as establish beneficial intestinal flora while having a concurrent antimicrobial effect.

The potato is regarded as one of the most complete foods as it stands on it's own. Meaning, you can eat a potato (with the skin) and get wonderful nourishment without having to add on extra foods. Potatoes have vitamins A, B6, C, potassium, magnesium, niacin, folate, thiamin, riboflavin, phosphorous, iron, zinc, and enzymes. Because a portion of the potato starch is resistant to digestive enzymes it reaches the intestinal tract intact and has the same physiological and beneficial effects of fiber : lowering cholesterol, increase glucose tolerance, protect against colon cancer, and reduce fat storage. The only thing to be watchful for in potatoes is the solanine which is present in the leaves, stems, sprouts, and fruits (or in potatoes which have been exposed to UV light, which can be plainly seen when they take on a greenish hue). In Chinese Medicine a potato is also considered yin in nature. Yin is all that is liquid and nourishing in the body, versus yang, which is all that is energetic and substantial (this is a very simple explanation as yin and yang theory goes much deeper).




The potato (S. tuberosum) is the fourth largest food crop in value and volume grown in the world. It originated in South America but has now reached every continent. There are thousands of varieties of potatoes, wild and cultivated. The potato interestingly became the MOST important crop in 19th century Europe as it was easily stored, high in nutrition, and cheap to grow. From a medicinal perspective, when choosing your potato, you want to go with the ones with a little more color and an earthier taste. Yukon Gold would therefore beat out a White Idaho. The Colombian papa criolla is above and beyond my favorite, but alas difficult to come by in the U.S. Blue potatoes have the added benefit of boosting blood and ciruclation. Beware of genetically modified varieties of potatoes which tend to be more indigestible due to having been created to only contain amylopectin (making them resistant to pests but in turn ruining the health benefits for us).

Aside from the solanine and genetically modified warnings, a potato is your friend. If you were stranded on an island it might be the best marriage between a vegetable and a fruit in terms of it's nutritional value. And if you are suffering from the effects of food poisoning that has given way to gastroenteritis, the potato is queen. Some other wonderful additions to treating your tender tummy besides the potato are : water with fresh lemon and sea salt, a tablespoon of raw honey taken on it's own, and probiotics (in the form of capsules, miso/fermented products, kombucha, or plain yogurt, you choose).

Treating Temperature with Tamarind

Tamarindus indica L., otherwise known as tamarind (fruit), just so happens to be not only delicious but a wonderful medicinal as well. In Thailand (where it naturally grows) it is referred to as makam and I mentioned it briefly here in the Travelling Medicine: Thailand post. While it clearly is not growing in this Midwestern climate, you can find it in pulp form and it is just as tasty for cooking purposes, though I miss eating it fresh. The tamarind tree is beautiful and can grow to be as tall as 100 feet and as wide as 25 feet so if you're lucky enough to have one in your backyard, I envy you. Tamarind originated in Africa, travelled to India, and then on to the Middle East and so on. You can now find it in many of the tropical areas around the world. There are a few varieties which you can differentiate by the taste (either more tart or more sweet) or the color (brown to red).

The seeds, leaves, flowers, and fruit are viable for use in cooking and as medicinals. The major medical use for tamarind that is recognized throughout the world is as an antipyretic (fever reducer). It is also used as a mild laxative (to move the bowels) and as a carminative (to reduce gas in the intestines). The tamarind pulp can be used in any dish to aid digestion not only for humans but for elephants! If you have a bilious disorder, tamarind is your friend. You can also use the pulp externally to reduce inflammation or treat rheumatism. You can gargle with the pulp juice and salt for sore throat. The leaves and flowers can be boiled and applied to swollen joints, sprains, and boils. The seeds can be pounded into a paste and used to expel boils or to treat diarrhea. In fact, there are SO many uses for the tamarind plant that I can't list them all here. But you can look here for more information if you want. For these purposes, remember that it is an excellent fever reducer (since we're still in flu season) and a wonderful digestive. You can't really beat that kind of medicine when it tastes as good as it does, tart and savory.



I made a tamarind chicken dish recently which is so so so simple, you can't get it wrong. I had some pulp which I keep in the fridge to use in a multitude of tamarind recipes I like to cook, such as the chick pea dish and the Thai egg dish. For this you only need the following: chicken legs, thighs, or drumsticks with the skin and bones on (you decide what cut you want), panela (a type of cane sugar I used from Colombia, but you can choose any other type you wish to), tamarind pulp with seeds, cilantro, grapeseed oil, fish sauce, rice, and black pepper. That's it!

Directions:

1. Measure approximately 1/2 a cup of tamarind pulp (per 4 chicken legs) and add 2 cups of water into a bowl. Let it soak for up to an hour, periodically squeezing the pulp and letting it seep into the water, it will turn a rich brown. You can eventually pull out the seeds if you so wish.
2. Fry the chicken on both sides until it browns. Add the tamarind water and let it come to a slow boil. Add a few teaspoons of fish sauce (you can do this to taste if you want). Add 1-3 tablespoons of the sugar you choose to use (also do this to taste, depending on if you like it more tangy or not). Add a few whole correander/cilantro roots and leaves. Sprinkle black pepper.
3. Let the chicken boil slowly for up to an hour, you will see that it begins to fall apart (don't pull it apart) and the sauce should reduce to an almost syrup. Mince some fresh cilantro and serve it over the chicken and rice.

RUN to the store now and get some!!!

The Little Fish

I love little fish. All of them. Sardines, mackerel (the small and the larger ones), herring, anchovies, smelt, kippers, and on and on. Here's the wonderful medicinal news on them: they are excellent in every which way. They are neutral in thermal nature, which means that you won't heat up or cool down too much unlike many foods out there. If you eat something that is hot hot hot all the time, you will become...hot. Little fish nurture your yin, which is all the moisture and lubrication that keeps your joints moving smoothly as well as your blood flowing like a river instead of chugging like a tugboat. The best thing about it, especially for women, is that you can eat the little bones. And well, eating the bones = is good for your bones. This of course is good for everyones bones, not just women, even men need to keep an eye on that. You need to watch it with sardines a little, don't go eating them every day, or you'll end up with a mucus overload - but many times a week is perfectly fine. If you have rheumatism, go for mackerel. If you have pain, go for herring (but avoid it if you have acne or a rash, according to P. Pitchford). From the Western Nutrition point of view, sardines are high in Omega 3 fatty acids and low in mercury, a perfect combination if there ever was one given the importance of Omega 3's but the unfortunate fact that many fish are now contaminated with high levels of mercury. Sardines are also rich in vitamin B12, magnesium, calcium, iron, vitamin D (in the skin), and niacin.

I also like that it is a simple meal when you don't have a lot of time to marinate, chop, slice, sear, and sit. You can pop open the sacrilegious tin and slide those puppies out on a plate, serve with some rice, with pasta, on bread, on lettuce, or however which way you please. I love sardines mashed up with Greek yogurt, lemon, sea salt, and shallots, placed on toast. I recently ate them a la Thai with some rice and some pla tu paste. Squeezed a bit of lime on them, squirted some nam pla (fish sauce) on the rice and I was happily and healthily fed. If I can get any of these lovely little fish fresh, then I do, every single time I find them. I remember the times I've caught little fish while...fishing, and while often they're used as bait - there is no way I'm sharing these with some big lumpy large fish much to my fellow fisherperson's chagrin.



Even the cat was eyeing my sardine glory.

Here are a few of my favorite ways to eat little fish:

Sardine Sandwhich

1 can sardines
lemon
sea salt
greek yogurt
shallots
crusty wholegrain bread

1. Mash them up with aforementioned lemon, sea salt, greek yogurt, and shallots and place on toasted wholegrain bread. It's that simple and it's that good.

Anchovy Pasta

1 can anchovies in olive oil
sweet thick soy sauce
fish sauce
some kind of sugar
lime
Thai chiles
cilantro
1 large onion (white or red it doesn't matter)
1/2 lb. pasta (spaghetti or shells or whatever you please)

1. Sautee moon slices of whole onion in the olive oil from the anchovy tin, do this until they caramelize on a low heat. Add the chiles (to taste - 2 or 3 is a good start).
2. Meanwhile cook the pasta, drain, and let sit.
3. Add pasta and anchovies to caramelized onions in pan, add a tbspn or more of sweet thick soy sauce, a tspn of sugar, a dash of fish sauce (anchovies are salty already), splash of lime (1/2 a lime is good if you like it sour), garnish with cilantro.
4. Eat

Fried Fresh Little Fish

fresh anchovies, sardines (the very little ones), or smelts if you're lucky
flour
oil
sea salt
lemon or lime
egg

1. Coat fish with egg then flour, place in shallow frying pan with hot oil, lightly fry on both sides until golden brown, add lemon or lime and sprinkle with sea salt.
(Excellent appetizer for a party paired with a crisp white wine)