12/04/2026
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These dishes take a beloved Western recipe and reimagine every ingredient through the lens of the five elements in Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Nothing is changed arbitrarily — every swap serves a therapeutic purpose, guided by the principles of flavour, colour, season, and energetic direction.
The five elements — Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water — each correspond to an organ systems, a flavour, a colour, a season, and an energy. By aligning our food with these principles, we can support the body’s natural rhythms throughout the year.
Wood is spring, green, sour, upward energy, and the organs are the liver & gallbladder.
Green Goddess Salad is a reimagined from Caesar Salad. The plum in the dressing, along with lemon juice and tahini, gives the sourness to the whole dish and uplifts the green ingredients.
Cabbage Salad goes great with BBQ meat as a side dish, but is perfect on its own. Filling, slightly sweet and sour, the well-balanced flavours come from the soy & sesame dressing, which is made with rice vinegar, honey, spring onions, and chopped coriander.
Grilled Asparagus with Romesco Sauce brings together the elements of Wood and Fire. As we move toward summer — a season associated with Fire — this dish reflects that natural transition, while also illustrating the relationship between the two elements.
Fire is nourished by Wood; just as in nature, a flame continues to grow when it is fed with fuel.
This is food with intention. Food that works with you and the seasons.
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Warmly, Kata.
