3 Recipes for Transitioning to Spring

Today is the first day of the solar term 雨水 yǔshuǐ, Rain Water. (Yesterday was the first day of the Lunar New Year, Mardi Gras, and Ramadan! These holidays don’t always overlap like this; 2026 is special.) The weather here in the East Bay is certainly matching up to the solar term despite climate change! It was warm for 3 days at 立春 lìchūn Start of Spring but then the weather turned cold and damp as if winter felt like it hadn’t gotten its allotment of weather. When the environment around you is cold and damp, it’s important to keep warm and take extra good care of your TCM Stomach, since the digestion doesn’t work as well when damp.

For this solar term at the beginning of the Year of the Fire Horse, I bring to you three recipes from Dr Hao Liu for the transition between winter and spring.

First, for people who maybe had a hectic winter and didn’t get to hibernate enough, who might have cold hands and feet, low back and/or knee pain, fatigue in the late afternoon, pale tongue with teethmarks and sluggish bowels, he recommends:
1. go to bed early (ie at or after sunset)
2. avoid caffeine, and
3. eat this five seed millet porridge:

millet 80g
water 1200ml
walnuts 10g
black sesame 6g
pine nuts 6g
almonds 5g
pumpkin seeds 6g

Cook the millet and water into congee, then add ground nuts and seeds and simmer 5 minutes. Serve warm.

Note: if you don’t have all these raw nuts and seeds, you can mix and match your own, just keep it at approximately 30g total.

Next, for people who feel heaviness or stuffiness in the head, chest, abdomen, with sticky stools and emotional ‘stuckness’ (ie PMSing even when you aren’t a menstruating person), he recommends:
1. avoid alcohol, sour flavored, acidic, and raw foods, and
2. using this herbal awakening tea rather than coffee on that brain fog.

huángqí astragalus root 6g
xiāngfù nutgrass rhizome 3g
lóngyǎnròu dried longan 5 pieces

Steep in hot water and sip slowly.

Last but not least, for folks who have none of the symptoms above because their bodies have successfully transitioned into spring already (well done!), he recommends this oxtail soup to prepare for increasing your fitness (especially muscle mass) in the spring and summer seasons:

oxtail 500g
beef shank 200g
guìzhī cinnamon twig 6g
dānshēn salvia root 6g
shēngjiāng fresh ginger 3 slices
dàzǎo red jujube dates 2 pieces
water 2000ml

Cook oxtail, shank and ginger in water for 60 minutes, add cinnamon and salvia and simmer additional 20 minutes.

And if you want a vegan option, try these protein packed snacking beans:

adzuki beans 80g
soybeans 80g
black beans 80g
white beans 80g
mung beans 50g
dāngguī angelica root 8g
guìzhī cinnamon twig 7g
báisháo white peony root 8g
zhìgāncǎo honey-treated licorice root 5g
dàzǎo red jujube dates 4 pieces
shēngjiāng fresh ginger 5 slices

Soak beans in 900ml of water for 4-8 hours, then put everything in pot with herbs (separated in a filter bag) to simmer 35 minutes with rock sugar and sea salt to taste. Remove herb bag and add ginger slices. Turn the heat back up to a rolling boil until all the liquid evaporates.

No time to cook or kitchen skills? Different problems? I’ve got you! Email me to order any of the transition recipes above, or book a session in Berkeley, Oakland, or at a location of your choice. I’ll meet you where you’re at.