Warm up with these delivery-ready winter dishes

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With the year drawing to a close, you can be certain that frigid winter winds will blow hard. However, there are plenty of ways to stay warm without running the heater round the clock.

One way is to listen to tradition. The Chinese have been refining the art of balancing what you eat with what your body needs for millennia. According to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), there’s a nuanced system of helping your body adjust to seasonal changes by understanding the balance of foods you consume.

Popular online grocery store FIELDS has a selection of ready-prepared dishes that carry this balance. Cooked in the FIELDS KITCHEN, they contain all the essential ingredients to make sure you’re warm and healthy throughout the cold while providing a delicious meal. Here are some of them.

FIELDS KITCHEN Spicy Pork Ribs

While cooling, sweet and bitter foods are yin – a TCM term for something that colds the body down – spicy, hot, and salty foods are considered yang, which warms instead. Plus, while the body benefits from boosts of nutrition and fiber from raw vegetables, cooked foods like baked casseroles, braised, and slow-cooked dishes like classic veal ossobuco are more easily digested.

FIELDS KITCHEN Classic Veal Ossobuco

Starchy root veggies are going to be your crockpot’s best friends during winter. Cook thick carbs and starches in soups and stews so they break down slowly in the body and give you lasting fuel. Enjoy familiar faces like beetroot, potatoes, parsnip, celeriac, and radish, or try more exotic fare such as mountain yam.

FIELDS KITCHEN Ginger Carrot Soup

Orange and red vegetables like pumpkin, butternut squash, sweet potato, carrot, red cabbage, bell peppers, and tomato are rich in nutrients, providing a boost to the body during the cold months.

FIELDS KITCHEN Pumpkin Soup

Meaty and fatty foods are valuable sources of dense proteins and heavy nutrition through winter. Think roasted chicken and beef alongside plenty of beans. And for breakfast, enjoy oatmeal compote with honey instead of regular milk and cereal.

FIELDS KITCHEN Roasted Chicken

When eaten in proper combination, healthy fats from fish, nuts, beans, and whole grains naturally supply the body with essential elements that help process, burn, and store nutrient-rich foods. Greasy, oil-saturated foods, on the other hand, can actually be yin and stagnate your digestive fire. Your food staple in winter should be based around a whole grain paired with a protein for adequate nutrition.

Powerful flavors are said to be important for stimulating circulation, in turn keeping the body warm. That’s why aromatics (ginger, turmeric, onions, and garlic) spices (cayenne, chili, black pepper, and Sichuan peppercorn), and herbs (basil, scallions, leeks, and lemongrass) are all great for cooking with in winter. Bonus: they fight off all kinds of bacteria and germs that might strike when it’s cold.

Citrus fruits like orange and lemons are a great source of vitamins – a good way to boost the immune system and promote energy during colder months. Plus, when vitamin D and serotonin levels get low in winter, the energy of the sun is just a peel away. Enjoy any citrus, mango, pineapple, kiwi, or pomegranate.

FIELDS delivers groceries directly to your door, offering fresh vegetables and fruit – including many organic options – imported meat and seafood, cheese and bakery, freshly prepared ready-to-eat home favorites from the FIELDS KITCHEN, plus many imported brands.

Delivering four times daily in Shanghai, starting from as early as 6am, order before 4pm and enjoy same day delivery, with delivery free for orders over ¥200. If you’re a new customer, you’ll receive a free gift with your first order.

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