Root Vegetable Stir-Fry with Chinese Five-Spice

Ingredients

• 2 turnips, peeled and cut into wedges
• 2 parsnips, peeled and cut into sticks
• 1 leek, finely sliced (white and light-green parts)
• 2 tbsp sesame or olive oil
• 1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
• 2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• About 70 ml water

Method

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and stir-fry for a few seconds.
2. Add the turnips and parsnips, and stir-fry, tossing regularly.
3. Sprinkle with five-spice, add the water and soy sauce, cover and cook over low heat until the vegetables are tender.
4. Add the leek, stir and cook a few more minutes uncovered until soft.
5. Taste, adjust the seasoning, and serve hot, as a side or as a light main with a little rice.

TCM perspective: A simple stir-fry of seasonal root vegetables (turnip, parsnip, leek), seasoned with five-spice: cinnamon and clove are warming, and star anise enters the Lung meridian. An easy everyday recipe that gently harmonises the Spleen-Stomach.

Tips & precautions: Suitable for most people, a good everyday recipe for early autumn. You can add toasted sesame seeds at the end of cooking to strengthen its nourishing action on Yin and Blood (the body's deep fluids and vitality, in Chinese medicine).

These are general principles of Chinese dietetics and do not replace personalised medical advice.