Hypertension is becoming increasingly widespread and affecting younger individuals in China. Beyond medication, daily dietary habits are crucial for maintaining stable blood pressure levels. Here are 12 dietary remedies to support hypertension management—give them a try!
1. Bitter Melon and Pork Rib Soup
Ingredients (serves 3-4): Pork ribs, 300g fermented black beans, bitter melon to taste, 1 piece ginger, 3 slices water chestnut, 2 tablespoons rice wine, 1/2 tablespoon white sugar, salt to taste.
Method:
1. Wash the bitter melon, halve it lengthwise, remove the inner membrane and seeds, cut into chunks, and blanch to reduce bitterness. Drain and set aside.
2. Rinse pork ribs, cut into chunks, and parboil;
3. Bring water to a boil in a large steaming pot. Add bitter melon, pork ribs, ginger slices, fermented black beans, and all seasonings. Cover;
4. Place steaming pot in a steamer. Steam over high heat for 30 minutes. Serve.
II. Corn and Clam Meat Soup
Ingredients: 60g river clams, 200g fresh corn, 3g salt.
Method:
1. Remove husks and silk from corn, wash and cut into three sections;
2. Rinse clam meat;
3. Place corn in a pot with sufficient water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low heat;
4. Simmer corn for 20 minutes, add clam meat, cook for another 30 minutes, then season to taste.
III. Oyster Sauce Stir-Fried Mushrooms
Ingredients: Straw mushrooms 250g, fresh shiitake mushrooms 100g, mustard greens 200g,soy sauce 10g, oyster sauce 20g, salt 2g, white sugar 5g, pea starch 5g, garlic cloves 5g, vegetable oil 30g.
Method:
1. Rinse straw mushrooms and halve them;
2. Soak shiitake mushrooms until soft, remove stems, and halve;
3. Remove Chinese mustard hearts and slice thinly;
4.Crush the garlic cloves;
5. Blanch the mustard greens in boiling water with a pinch of salt until bright green, then drain;
6. Heat vegetable oil in a wok. Sauté garlic until fragrant, then add shiitake mushrooms and lightly fry. Stir-fry straw mushrooms, then add mustard greens and toss together;
7. Mix oyster sauce, light soy sauce, sugar, and 20ml water until well combined;
8. Pour over mushrooms, straw mushrooms, and mustard greens, stir-fry, then thicken with cornstarch slurry.
IV. Fragrant Stir-Fried Spinach
Ingredients: 500g spinach, 5g salt, 3g MSG, 5g ginger,sesame oil 10g, aged vinegar 15g.
Method:
1. Wash spinach, trim roots, cut into 3cm segments. Blanch in boiling water, drain, cool, and plate.
2. Season with salt, MSG, minced ginger, and sesame oil. Toss to combine.
V. Eucommia and Pork Kidney Soup
Ingredients: 300g pork kidneys, 30g Eucommia bark, 15g Chicken Blood Vine, 30g Mulberry Parasite, 10g dried red dates, 5g ginger, 3g salt.
Method:
1. Remove coarse bark from Eucommia bark.
2. Rinse Eucommia bark, Chicken Blood Vine, Mulberry Parasite, pork kidneys, ginger, and red dates.
3. Remove fat membrane from pork kidneys and slice thinly.
4. Place all ingredients in an earthenware pot. Add sufficient water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat for one hour. Season to taste.
VI. Mung Bean and Celery Soup
Ingredients: 50g mung beans, 50g celery, 1 egg, salt to taste.
Method:
1. Rinse mung beans, soak in water for 2 hours, remove impurities.
2. Remove celery leaves, wash and cut into sections. Separate egg white.
3. Place mung beans, celery, and pork kidney in a clay pot. Add sufficient water, bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat for one hour. Season to taste.
3. Place mung beans and celery in a blender. Add sufficient water and blend into a paste.
4. Bring two bowls of water to a boil in a pot. Pour in the mung bean-celery paste and stir well. Once boiling again, pour in the egg white and stir to incorporate. Season with salt to taste.
VII. Winter Melon and Mussel Soup
Ingredients: 250g winter melon, 60g winter melon seeds, 60g mussels, 15g fresh shiitake mushrooms, 3g salt.
Method:
1. Rinse mussels and soak in water for 30 minutes.
2. Wash winter melon, winter melon seeds, and shiitake mushrooms.
3. Place all ingredients into an earthenware pot. Add sufficient water, bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat for 2 hours. Season to taste.
VIII. Bamboo Fungus and Lotus Seed Soup
Ingredients: 25g dried bamboo fungus, 50g lotus seeds, 50g bamboo shoots, 500g loofah, 3g salt, 1g MSG.
Method:
1. Soak dried bamboo fungus in water until softened, rinse, trim both ends, slice diagonally, and soak in water;
2. Blanch fresh lotus seeds in boiling water for 5 minutes, peel, rinse, and soak in water;
3. Peel loofah, remove seeds, and slice into diamond shapes;
4.Place a soup pot over heat, add water and bring to a boil. Add bamboo fungus, lotus seeds, bamboo shoot slices, and loofah. Simmer for 30 minutes, then remove and place in a soup bowl.
5. Combine salt, MSG, and vegetable broth in another pot. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat.
6. Ladle the hot broth into the bowl containing bamboo fungus, loofah, lotus seeds, and bamboo shoot slices. Serve immediately.
IX. Salmon and Vegetable Congee
Ingredients: 200g steamed rice, 30g salmon, 50g fresh shiitake mushrooms, 20g carrot, 10g scallions, 3g salt.
Method:
1. Trim the stems from the shiitake mushrooms and score decorative patterns on their caps.
2. Peel and wash the carrot, then slice it thinly.cut scallions into sections;
3. Combine all seasonings (salt, 4 cups broth) in a pot and bring to a boil. Add salmon and return to a boil;
4. Add all ingredients (except scallions) and simmer for about 3 minutes;
5. Finally, sprinkle with scallion sections.
X. Celery Chicken Strips
Ingredients: 180g celery, 180g chicken breast, 15g carrot, 50g fresh shiitake mushrooms, 25g egg white, 5g garlic cloves, 2g salt, 1g pepper, 5g pea starch, 3g white sugar, 25g vegetable oil.
Method:
1. Rinse chicken breast, pat dry, slice into strips, and marinate with seasonings for 15 minutes;
2. Peel garlic, rinse, and mash into paste;
3. Julienne celery and carrot;
4. Soak mushrooms until soft, julienne, then steam with sugar, salt, and oil for 10 minutes; set aside;
5. Heat oil in a wok, add minced garlic, celery, and carrots, stir-fry until fragrant;
6. Add shredded mushrooms and chicken, stir-fry until combined. Thicken with a little cornstarch slurry, then plate.
XI. Winter Melon and Fresh Lotus Leaf Stewed Duck
Ingredients: Duck 750g,winter melon 1500g, lotus leaves 100g, dried tangerine peel 7g, vegetable oil 50g, Shaoxing wine 15g, salt 6g.
Method:
1. Clean an earthenware pot and fill with 3000ml water.
2. Remove seeds from winter melon and cut into chunks.
3. Wash fresh lotus leaves thoroughly.
4. Heat 50g oil in a wok, pan-fry the whole duck until browned, splash with Shaoxing wine, then remove. Place duck, winter melon, lotus leaves, and dried tangerine peel into the earthenware pot.
5. Add 3000ml water, bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat. Simmer for 3 hours.
6. Remove duck, winter melon, and lotus leaves from pot.
4. Heat 50g oil in a wok. Pan-fry the whole duck until well-seared. Splash with Shaoxing wine, remove duck, and place it in the clay pot with winter melon, lotus leaves, and dried tangerine peel. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat, then reduce to medium-low heat. Simmer until tender.Remove the winter melon and place it on a serving dish. Carve the stewed duck and arrange it on top of the winter melon to resemble the duck's original shape. Season the broth (yielding 2250g) with salt to taste, pour it over the duck, and serve.
12. Coix Seed and Lotus Seed Porridge
Ingredients: 75g coix seeds, 75g japonica rice, 25g lotus seeds, 50g rock sugar.
Method:
1. Rinse lotus seeds, soak until softened, then peel and remove seeds. Rinse coix seeds and japonica rice thoroughly.
2. Pour water into a pot, add Job's tears and japonica rice. Bring to a boil, then simmer until half-cooked. Add lotus seeds. Once Job's tears and rice have bloomed and become sticky, and lotus seeds are tender, stir in rock sugar until dissolved. Serve immediately.