Angelica and Pig Brain Soup

Pig brains, also known as offal, are consumed around the world and can be purchased fresh in grocery stores or butcher shops everywhere. Some stores even package them in milk gravy. This organ meat is versatile, which means it can be prepared in a number of different ways, including in soups or stews, as part of an egg dish, breaded and fried, and in stir-fries. But today I will introduce a more nourishing method - Angelica Pig Brain Soup.

Angelica Pig Brain Soup

Ingredients: 500g pig brain, 30g angelica, 5g ginger, 2g MSG, 2g pepper, 6g salt

practice:

1. Remove the fascia from the pig brain and wash it with water. Wash the angelica with water as well.

2. Put the washed pig brain and ginger slices in a stewing pot, pour in chicken soup, put it on the fire to boil, and skim off the foam on the surface.

3. Add the angelica, cover, and simmer over low heat for about 1 hour.

4. When the pig brain is cooked, add salt, MSG, monosodium glutamate and pepper to adjust the taste.

How to clean pig brain

Pig brain has a strong fishy smell, but it is very soft and has a delicate texture. If you have time, you might as well make a few dishes yourself. Whether it is braised, stewed or roasted, pig brain is delicious. But how do you clean the pig brain you bought to remove the fishy smell? Cleaning pig brains is actually not difficult, but it requires the same patience as cleaning pig intestines, and you have to be able to tolerate the strong fishy smell. The cleaning process of pig brain is roughly divided into three steps: soaking in water, tearing off the blood film, and rinsing.

Soak the pig brain in water for more than half an hour, and then the blood film begins to tear apart. These blood films are the culprit for its fishy smell. Tearing off the blood film requires patience and carefulness. Use a toothpick to pick out the blood film on the pig brain and tear off the film gently. After tearing off the blood film, rinse it with a thinner stream of water. It is recommended to wear a mask and gloves when cleaning. After cleaning the pig brain, you can stew it into soup. A pot of Gastrodia elata pig brain soup or yam pig brain soup are good choices, but don’t eat too much, because the cholesterol content in pig brain is high, and eating too much will cause indigestion.

Eating too much pig brain will not only lead to indigestion, but may even cause cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, and in severe cases may even lead to stroke. If you simply want to supplement iron and brain health through pig brain, it is better to get it through eating other foods.

Taboos of eating pig brain soup

Pig brain is recorded in Li Shizhen's "Compendium of Materia Medica" as sweet, cold and poisonous. The poisonous in the book does not mean that eating pig brains will cause poisoning, but that it will cause various diseases such as high blood pressure, high blood lipids, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, and in severe cases, stroke and other diseases. Also, you should not drink alcohol after eating pig brains, and you should not drink alcohol while eating pig brains. It is not recommended for men to eat pig brains as it will lead to a decrease in their fertility, and it should never be eaten before sexual intercourse.

Pig brain contains extremely high cholesterol. 100 grams of pig brain contains up to 3100 mg of cholesterol. The cholesterol contained in pig brain is the highest among common foods. It is best not to eat it for the elderly. They often have problems such as high blood lipids and arteriosclerosis to varying degrees. Excessive consumption of high-end cholesterol foods will aggravate their condition and even induce diseases such as stroke. Babies should not eat pig brains either. The benefits of pig brains can be obtained through other foods, so there is no need to eat them. Pregnant women and postpartum women should be careful when eating pig brains.

Pig brain is not suitable for everyone to eat. The following groups of people can eat it in moderation: those with weak constitution and those who suffer from dizziness, headache, neurasthenia, and migraine due to deficiency of qi and blood. If you must eat pig brain, it is best to roast it, grind it into powder and eat it with vinegar.