Lucky foods for Tet

Typical dishes of Tet holiday are not only valuable in terms of enjoyment and deliciousness, but also bring belief in the meaning of luck for the new year.

Specialist Doctor 2 Huynh Tan Vu (Day Treatment Unit - University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City - Campus 3) shared that the diversity and richness of dishes from traditional to modern during Tet contribute to the joy of reunion, luck and improve the quality of life, making the taste of homeland during Tet more rich, bringing joy and happiness to the new year.

Below are typical Tet dishes with the concept of bringing good luck to the homeowner.

Chung cake

In the Vietnamese mind, Chung cake represents the tradition of "remembering the source of water when drinking water". The square Chung cakes represent the convergence of heaven and earth and express gratitude to ancestors.

"Many people are afraid to eat banh chung because it makes them fat, but this is a cake that provides enough energy for the body if eaten in moderation. With ingredients such as sticky rice, green beans and pork, banh chung provides us with a lot of vitamins and minerals. The sticky rice in banh chung has a sweet, warm taste, is soft and supple, has a fragrant smell, and has the effect of benefiting the kidneys, nourishing the liver, making the liver and gallbladder circulate, strengthening the spleen and stomach to nourish the whole body and strengthen the tendons and bones," Dr. Vu shared.

The green beans in the filling are sweet and cool, and have the effect of nourishing the spleen, stomach, heart, and liver, eliminating toxins in food. They also have a light taste that helps balance the fat content of meat and sticky rice. Pork has a sweet, warm taste, and has the effect of nourishing the kidneys and strengthening yang. The fatty part of the meat has the effect of absorbing and eliminating alcohol. Pepper has a spicy, warm taste, and has the effect of warming the spleen and stomach, stimulating digestion, lowering qi, eliminating phlegm, and treating abdominal pain caused by cold accumulation and indigestion.

Doctor Vu noted that people who should not or should limit eating banh chung include people with stomach ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome or gastroesophageal reflux, people at risk or currently overweight, obese, with kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and people with acne.

Banh chung is a typical dish of Vietnamese people on Tet holiday.

Soup and broth

True to its name, bitter melon soup symbolizes the hope that the hardships and difficulties of the old year will pass so that the new year will bring more luck and good fortune.

According to Dr. Vu, this soup is relatively easy to cook but contains many nutrients, is a cooling, cool and nutritious soup, helps to cool down and detoxify extremely effectively on hot days, eating a lot of greasy foods like Tet. Bitter melon not only helps cool the body and supplement fiber but also helps beautify the skin, reduce blood fat, lower blood pressure, lower blood sugar.

Braised pork

Braised pork is a typical dish of Tet holiday with the meaning of expressing family harmony and happiness. Braised pork is rich in nutrients, flavorful and easy to eat, can be eaten by the elderly or children, near or far guests. However, cooking too much braised pork, then reheating it many times causes the fat in the meat to be transformed under the influence of high temperature, affecting health.

"Braised pork is also a high-energy dish, so overweight and obese people, people with cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and dyslipidemia should limit their intake and not eat too much braised pork. It is recommended that these people choose lean meat, avoid eating braised pork broth, and only eat a maximum of 3-4 eggs per week," Dr. Vu noted.

Braised pork is a typical dish of Tet holiday with the meaning of expressing family harmony and happiness.

Pickled onions

According to Oriental medicine, pickled onions are a spicy, hot dish that helps to clear the yang energy, eliminate bad air, detoxify, circulate blood and meridians; at the same time, warm the spleen and stomach, digest fat, and reduce joint pain when exposed to cold. Because of its sweet and sour taste, it is easy to eat, and its ingredients contain a lot of fiber to support the digestive process, helping the liver to be less tired when the body continuously consumes greasy foods, high in protein and fat such as banh chung, jellied meat, braised pork, fried spring rolls, ham, so pickled onions are often eaten with food to increase the taste of the dish, reduce boredom, stimulate digestion, especially for people with digestive disorders, constipation, bloating...

"However, pickled onions pose a potential health risk, especially for people with stomach problems, kidney disease, high blood pressure or pregnant women, who should not eat too much," Dr. Vu warned.

According to Oriental medicine, melon is a spicy, hot dish that helps clear yang energy and eliminate bad air.

Chicken

Golden boiled chicken is also a familiar dish on the Vietnamese family's Tet holiday tray with the wish to bring a favorable start, full of happiness. Therefore, no one knows since when, boiled chicken has been chosen as the dish to start the new year with lots of luck.

According to Oriental medicine, chicken meat is warm and sweet, non-toxic, nutritious, good for the lungs, and also cures hemorrhage, leukorrhea, dysentery, boils, and is a food that nourishes the spleen and stomach, replenishes qi, blood, and kidneys. Not only is it an easy-to-make delicious dish for Tet, boiled chicken is also a source of essential nutrients and vitamins for the body. This is a high-quality food that is easily absorbed and digested by the human body, making it an excellent health-enhancing dish.

However, chicken should not be eaten with perilla, as it can cause bloating and indigestion. People with high blood pressure should limit eating chicken skin... People with chicken pox and kidney stones should avoid chicken.

Boiled corn

Corn is a rich source of vitamins B, C, minerals, fiber, carbohydrates, etc., providing many health benefits such as stimulating digestion, preventing anemia, providing energy, and protecting the cardiovascular system. Two types of antioxidants, zeaxanthin and lutein, are abundant in corn, which are good for eye and skin health. Vietnamese people have a saying "firm as corn", so many people eat corn with the hope that in the new year their family will be full, prosperous, and everything they do will be successful.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nhung-mon-an-mang-lai-may-man-ngay-tet-185250127203728546.htm