Star fruit and orange cup with fresh mint
Star-shaped slices of star fruit with juicy orange segments and fresh mint — sweet, tangy and fragrant, a pretty fruit cup that lifts the mood when you feel low.
- 10 min
- Serves 2
- Toss
- Easy
Why it suits you: At End of Heat the summer warmth hasn't cleared and autumn is on its way, and a Qi-Stagnation constitution is especially sensitive to the change of season, easily feeling low, tight-chested or belching. Orange and mint are aromatic, moving qi and soothing the liver, while star fruit clears heat and generates fluids — a refreshing fruit cup that brightens the mood.
Method
Prep 10 min · Cook 0 min- 1Wash the star fruit, trim the tough edge off each of its five ribs, slice it crossways into stars and remove the seeds.
- 2Cut the peel and pith off the oranges and cut out the segments, saving the juice.
- 3Gently toss the star fruit, orange segments and juice with the honey and a pinch of salt to bring out the sweetness, spoon into cups and top with mint.
Cautions
- Star fruit contains oxalates and a neurotoxin: never eat it if you have kidney disease, and go easy if your digestion runs cold.
Chef's tips
- Choose fully yellow star fruit with slightly browned rib edges; they are the sweetest and juiciest.
The TCM view
Star fruit is sweet, sour and cold, clearing heat, generating fluids and promoting urination. Orange is sweet, sour and cool, regulating qi, stimulating the appetite and easing thirst; mint is pungent and cool, soothing the liver, moving qi and clearing the head. Together they move qi with fragrance and relieve stagnation, easing the low mood and chest tightness of Qi Stagnation at the change of season.
