Kitchen Recipe Collection
Red Date and Longan Tea
A deeply nourishing, naturally sweet, 'warming' herbal tea consumed daily by many Chinese women for blood health and vitality, particularly during winter or postpartum.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 35 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- easy
- Cuisine
- Chinese
Ingredients
Scaled for 4 servings
- 10 large dried red dates (Jujubes), pitted
- 1/4 cup dried longan fruit (Gui Yuan)
- 1 small handful dried goji berries
- 1-2 inch piece of fresh ginger, sliced
- 5 cups water
- Optional: Chinese dark brown sugar to taste
Equipment
- Saucepan
Instructions
- 1
Prep Dates
Rinse the red dates. It is highly recommended to slice them in half or pit them to release maximum sweetness into the water.
- 2
Rinse
Briefly rinse the dried longan and goji berries.
- 3
Boil
Place the water, sliced ginger, red dates, and longan into a saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil.
- 4
Simmer
Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes. The water will turn a beautiful golden-amber color as the fruits rehydrate.
- 5
Add Goji Berries
Add the goji berries during the last 5 minutes of simmering. (Cooking them too long makes them mushy and slightly sour).
- 6
Sweeten (Optional)
Taste the tea. The dates and longan provide a lot of natural sweetness, but you can add a small piece of dark brown sugar if desired.
- 7
Serve
Serve steaming hot in mugs. It is traditional to eat the rehydrated fruits at the bottom of the cup after drinking the tea.
Cooking Tips
- Always buy red dates with the pits still in them (and remove them yourself), as pre-pitted ones tend to be dry and flavorless.
- In traditional Chinese medicine, this combination is the ultimate 'qi and blood replenisher'.
Variations
- Add Black Tea: Drop a black tea bag in during the last 3 minutes of simmering for a caffeinated version.
Nutrition Estimate
60 calories · 1g protein · 15g carbs · 0g fat · 2g fiber per serving
