Spring Equinox · Lunch · Balanced
Longjing tea prawns with asparagus on brown rice
New-season Longjing tea and prawns stir-fried with crisp asparagus over brown rice — fresh, fragrant and on the table in 20 minutes.
- 25 min
- Serves 2
- Stir-fry
- Easy
NeutralBalances yin & yangSupports digestion
Why it suits you: A balanced constitution simply follows the season. At Spring Equinox day and night are equal, and warming prawns with cooling Longjing tea and asparagus keep hot and cold in balance; brown rice rounds out a 20-minute lunch at home.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 10 min- 1Steep the tea leaves in 100 ml of 80°C water for 2 minutes. Strain, keeping both the tea and the leaves.
- 2Devein the prawns, rub with a little salt and cornflour, rinse and pat dry. Mix with the egg white, the rest of the cornflour and a pinch of salt, and leave for 10 minutes.
- 3Trim the woody ends of the asparagus, cut on the diagonal and blanch in boiling water with a few drops of oil for 1 minute.
- 4Heat the oil in a wok and stir-fry the prawns over medium heat for about 1 minute until just pink. Lift out.
- 5Fry the ginger until fragrant, return the prawns with the asparagus, splash in 3 tbsp of the tea, add the leaves and salt, toss over high heat for 30 seconds and spoon over the rice.
Cautions
- Allergic to prawns or shellfish? Use chicken strips instead and cook them the same way.
Chef's tips
- Don't use boiling water on the tea — about 80°C keeps it from turning bitter. Any green tea works if you have no Longjing.
The TCM view
Prawns are sweet and warm and support the kidneys and qi; asparagus is sweet and cool and eases thirst; Longjing tea is bitter, sweet and cool and clears rising heat from the head; brown rice is sweet and neutral and supports digestion. Warm and cool check each other — the equinox ideal of yin and yang in balance.
