Put the lot into a frying pan or wok and gently stir-fry over a low flame for one hour.

2 This goatish remedy almost fits the definition of panacea as it can be taken to improve kidney function, relieve soreness in the spine, and even relax the constraints of frigidity.

To prepare it, wash and cut up 200g of goat meat and put in a bowl, add 6g of shrimp, 10g of mashed fresh ginger, a small spring onion, some spices and a little alcohol, and let stand for 15 minutes. Then grill the mixture to perfection and enjoy.

An alternative remedy with the same effect can be made by slowly cooking two goat kidneys together with some sticky rice porridge over a low flame. Best eaten while still hot.

3. Loss of appetite? Pain in the lower abdomen? Then stir-fry 250g of goat meat, 100g of fresh ginger, 2g of nhục quế (cinnamon bark, or cortex cinnamomi in medical parlance), alcohol and spices over a low flame for one hour, and eat straight away.

4. Revitalize a feeble leg or knee by cooking two goat kidneys with 20g of đỗ trọng (medical name: cortex eucommiae), 15g of bổ cốt chỉ (medical name: fructus psoraleae), 50g of fresh ginger, spices, and alcohol made from large-grain sticky rice over a low flame for 30 minutes, and eating it hot.

5. Stomach of goat is the main ingredient of this tonic for illness-induced lethargy and remedy for excessive sweating.

Wash and slice up one goat stomach, put the pieces in a pan with 100g of hoàng kỳ (medical name: radix astragali), 50g of đậu đen (black beans), a dash of alcohol, some mashed fresh ginger, a small spring onion, add spices to taste, and cook gently over a low flame for one hour.

This dish should be eaten three times during the day for best effect.

6. Here’s one for overcoming male impotence, ending premature ejaculation, and getting irregular menstrual periods back into step.

The ingredients are a full kilogram of goat meat, 20g of khởi tử (Chinese wolfberries or fructus lycii chinensis/lycium, known in traditional Chinese medicine as Gou Qi Zi), one small spring onion, ginger, alcohol, spices and two liters of water.

To prepare, wash and parboil the meat, wash again in cold water, and cut into small squares. Heat a cast-iron pan and put the meat and ginger in. Then pour in alcohol and cook steadily so that the meat and ginger absorb it. Next, put the meat and ginger in an earthen pot along with some khởi tử, water, spices and onions. Bring to a boil over a strong flame, then turn down the heat and simmer until well cooked.

Reported by Ha Mai