Garni Yarakh

In summer, barbecue season occurs in many countries, which is not, according to Chinese Medicine, the most ideal way of preparing meat. It greatly strengthens the Yang element of the fire, and we, together with the food, only supply excess heat to the body, which we would rather get rid of on hot summer days. If we want to avoid unnecessary overheating, we should mainly grill vegetables of a cold or cooling nature. If we prepare meat in this way, we should consume it carefully and in combination with a salad of rocket, chicory or similar bitter leafy vegetables, which are refreshing and help to balance the hotness.

The following Armenian recipe is a lightweight dairy and egg-free variant of the Greek moussaka. You can try to offer it to your hungry guests instead of grilled burgers. To keep your grill busy, you can prepare eggplants and peppers on it. The food will then have a more rustic taste.

You will need:

500 g of ground beef
2-3 sweet peppers
4 eggplants
2 smaller onions
2 tomatoes
fresh parsley, coriander, salt, pepper, olive oil

Peel the elongated stripes of the skin from the eggplants; for the decoration and at the same time to keep them in shape.
Remove the inner part of the peppers, cut them in half or leave them whole as you wish.  Season them along with eggplants with salt and let them stand for about ten minutes. Then fry the eggplants and peppers in oil on all sides. Cut the eggplants in half, gently scrape out the inside part and leave it for later use.
Prepare a stuffing of minced meat: Fry the chopped onion, add minced meat, chopped eggplant flesh previously put aside, a little water and simmer for about 20 minutes on a mild flame… Finally, add the herbs, salt and pepper.
Place eggplants and peppers in a baking dish and fill with a prepared meat mixture. Cut tomatoes into cubes and put them on filled eggplants and peppers. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes at a hundred and sixty degrees. Before serving, sprinkle with fresh herbs and serve with rice or bread. As a side dish, you can also try boiled or baked potatoes.

Eggplants from the TCM point of view:

The cool nature of eggplant makes it a popular vegetable in summer, as it can help dissipate pathogenic heat. It is recommended for those suffering e. g. from heat-exanthema in summer. However, for those who have a weak digestive system with an inclination to diarrhoea, it is better to avoid overeating of this vegetable, because eggplant might be too “cold” for them and can hurt the stomach and spleen. Eggplant can also relieve oedema and constipation. Externally can be applicated on insect stings. Simply lay a thin slice on the insect bite to soothe swelling, hotness and pain.

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