Spring Equinox · Tea break · Damp-Heat
Herbal tortoise jelly
Glossy, bittersweet black herbal jelly made at home from guilinggao powder and drizzled with honey: Hong Kong's old friend for clearing heat and damp.
- 20 min
- Serves 4
- Boil
- Easy
CoolingClears heat and dampDetoxifies
Why it suits you: Damp-heat types tend to get spots, a bitter taste in the mouth and sluggish bowels as the Spring Equinox brings warmth and humidity. Herbal jelly, built on smilax and other herbs, clears heat, drains damp and detoxifies, and honey keeps things moving.
Method
Prep 5 min · Cook 15 min- 1Whisk the powder with 200 ml of cold water into a smooth slurry.
- 2Bring the remaining water to the boil, lower the heat and slowly pour in the slurry, stirring constantly for 3 minutes until slightly thickened.
- 3Pour into bowls or a mould, cool and chill for 2 hours until set. Drizzle with honey to serve.
Cautions
- It is cold in nature: avoid it with a cold stomach, during menstruation or pregnancy, and keep to once or twice a week.
Chef's tips
- Herbal shops and supermarkets sell the powder; choose one that lists smilax (tu fu ling) and honeysuckle.
The TCM view
Herbal jelly is usually made with smilax, honeysuckle and rehmannia; it is sweet, bitter and cold, clearing heat, draining damp and cooling the blood. Honey is sweet and neutral, moistening the bowels and softening the bitterness. Together they clear damp-heat.
