Chinese Red Date Goji Tea
Are you constantly working in front of a computer, feeling stressed and tired? Have you been finding new ways to nourish your skin naturally? If your answer is yes to any of these two questions, today’s recipe is for you.
What I am sharing is a well-liked tonic drink in China. It’s especially popular among ladies because it nourishes and brightens up the skin. It’s also good for calming the mind and helping the body replenish its blood supply.
In where I grew up, it is not uncommon to see people carry a bottle of this herbal tea to accompany their daytime activities such as playing mahjong, doing morning workout in a community park, going out for a hike with friends, and simply watching TV at home. I’m really excited to see these three ingredients – Chinese red dates, dried longan (pronounced as “lone-ah-n”) berries (fruits grown in tropical areas), and goji berries – are gaining more popularity in the west, so that more people can benefit from this tonic drink.
Although these three ingredients are all nutrition dense, you should only eat them in moderation. You can consume up to around 20 to 40 berries (about one and a half to one tablespoon) per day. And I’d usually prepare five dates and five to 10 dried longan berries for one serving.
To prepare the red dates, you don’t really need to remove the pits. But I like to do it to help them develop their flavor in the tea more quickly.
Since goji berries are a great source of vitamin A, which is more easily absorbed with the presence of fats, I would usually add an egg to go with this herbal tea. In fact, enjoying this tea with an egg is very common in China, too. Alternatively, I’d add a little bit of coconut oil into it.
To help you decide how you want to cook your egg, check out the picture below.
You can drink this tea after boiling it for 30 minutes. Yet the flavor of the Chinese red dates will not be fully developed by then. If you have more time, you may let it sit without removing the lid for another hour after turning off the heat.
Time Saving Tips
Don’t worry if you don’t have too much time. Here’s how you can save some time:
You may boil the tea for five minutes, pour it into a food jar, seal it tight, and let it sit on the kitchen counter overnight or for at least eight hours. When you enjoy this herbal tea the next day, you will notice that it has rich flavors and aromas from the dates and longan berries. Of course, it tastes sweeter, too.
Benefit Highlights
Besides calming the mind, stress relief, and nourishing the skin, this tea is very good for those who often have cold digits, especially in the winter. Traditional Chinese Medicine believes that since red dates and goji berries are good for the liver, drinking it can help with a hangover as well.
Before You Cook
Despite all the great benefits, this herbal tea may not be suitable for everybody. If you are experiencing inflammation in the body, you may want to skip it for now. Additionally, because longan berries and red dates contain higher levels of sugar content, it’d not be recommended for those who should restrict their sugar intake.
Ingredient Selection
If possible, opt for eggs from pasture-raised chickens as they contain the ideal ratio of omega 3 to omega 6, which is one to one. Eggs from grain-fed chickens may contain way too much omega 6, which can lead to a series of health problems such as inflammation, skin issues, heart disease, just to name a few.
These three ingredients are easily accessible at any Chinese supermarket. If it’s hard to find one, shopping online is another option. While it is easier to find Chinese red dates and goji berries online, there isn’t a lot of supply of longan berries at this point. Once I find a reliable source, I will share my recommendation here. You may sign up for the newsletter below to stay updated.
However, do not let not having longan berries stop you from trying this healing tea. You can still get almost the same benefits by using only red dates and goji berries.
Proper Cooking
Since goji berries and Chinese dates (the two key ingredients in the drink) are packed with vitamin C, here was what bothered me: wouldn’t boiling them drastically reduce the vitamin C content?
I later found out that, yes, boiling will cause the loss in vitamin C. However, heating process can increase the level of lycopene and beta-carotene in goji berries (source). Lycopene is known for its cancer-fighting property; consuming it can also prevent heart disease and lower cholesterol levels. Beta-carotene is good for improving eyesight, nourishing the skin, and strengthening immunity.
What’s more, boiling for more than 15 minutes can increase the amount of the type of beta carotene that is less bioavailable for the human body (source). In other words, ideally, we need to boil foods that contain beta carotene for no more than 15 minutes.
Last but not least, once you are about to enjoy this healing herbal drink, remember that how you eat is as important as what you eat. If you eat with constant stress and anxiety, you will not be able to get the benefits you want to receive. Before you have your first sip, I’d recommend you close your eyes, clear your thoughts, take a deep breath in, and take another deep breath out.
Hope you enjoy your moment of peace while sipping this tonic tea.
Tracy
Chinese Date Goji Tea (Version #1)
Serves 1
Time
- Cooking time for the herbal tea: about 35 minutes (including 1 minute of preparation time)
- Cooking time for preparing the egg: 8-15 minutes (depending on how you want to cook the yolk)
Equipment
- two small pots
- a cutting board
- a small knife
- a spoon
Ingredients
- 5 Chinese red dates
- 5 dried longan berries
- 5 goji berries
- 1-3/4 cups filtered water
- Water to boil the egg (enough to cover the whole egg in a pot)
- 1 egg
Instructions
To prepare the herbal tea
- Add 1-3/4 cups of filtered water in to a pot, put a lid on the top, and bring the water to boil. In the meantime, wash the red dates, longan berries, and goji berries. Remove seeds from the dates. Put pitted red dates and longan berries into the water that is being boiled.
- When the water is boiled, continue to boil the water with low heat for 25 minutes. Add goji berries and continue to cook with low heat for another 5 minutes. Turn off heat and let it sit while you are preparing the egg.
To boil an egg
- Put an egg into a different pot. Add enough water to just cover the egg. Put a lid on the top and bring the water to boil. Turn off heat and let it stay for 3 minutes (to get a runny yolk), 6 minutes (to get a yolk that’s 60-70% done), or 10 minutes (to fully cook the yolk).
- When the egg is almost ready, pour the herbal tea into a bowl. Take the egg out with a spoon and rinse under the cold tap water for a few seconds. Peel the egg and place it into the same bowl.
Serving suggestions
- To get the most benefits from the herbal tea, drink the tea and eat the ingredients.
- If you have more time, you can let the tea simmer for another hour before preparing the egg.
Notes
- It’s not suitable for people who have inflammation in the body or who should cut down their sugar intake.
- Opt for eggs from pasture-raised chickens, if possible.
Chinese Date Goji Tea (Version #2)
Serves 1
Time
- Cooking time: about 10 minutes (including 1 minute of preparation time)
- Waiting time: overnight (or, at least 8 hours)
Equipment
- a small pot
- a cutting board
- a small knife
- a food jar
Ingredients
- 5 Chinese red dates
- 5 dried longan berries
- 5 goji berries
- 2-1/4 cups filtered water
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
Instructions
- Add 2-1/4 cups of filtered water in to a pot, put a lid on the top, and bring the water to boil. In the meantime, wash the red dates, longan berries, and goji berries. Remove seeds from the dates. Put the pitted red dates, longan berries, and goji berries into the water that is being boiled.
- When the water is boiled, bring down the heat to “low”. Simmer for 5 minutes and turn off the heat. Pour the herbal tea along with the ingredients into a food jar. Seal the jar tight and place it on the kitchen counter overnight, or for at least 8 hours. Add coconut oil into the food jar and mix well.
Serving suggestion
- To get the most benefits from the herbal tea, drink the tea and eat the ingredients.
Notes
- It’s not suitable for people who have inflammation in the body or who should cut down their sugar intake.
“What you eat is as important as how you eat. Be at peace while you eat.”
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