Major Heat · Tea break · Damp-Heat
Mung bean & Job's tears drink
Mung beans and raw Job's tears simmered into a lightly sweetened drink that clears heat and damp on a Major Heat afternoon.
- 55 min
- Serves 3
- Simmer
- Easy
CoolingClears summer heatDrains damp
Why it suits you: Damp-Heat shows up as a bitter taste, breakouts and hot, heavy tiredness, and Major Heat's steamy mix of heat and damp makes it worse. Mung beans clear summer heat and raw Job's tears drain damp — both in season now — with only a touch of sugar.
Method
Prep 5 min · Cook 50 min- 1Rinse the Job's tears and soak for 2 hours, or overnight. Just rinse the mung beans — no need to soak.
- 2Bring the water to the boil, add the Job's tears and simmer on medium-low for 20 minutes.
- 3Add the mung beans and simmer for another 25–30 minutes until they split open.
- 4Sweeten with a little rock sugar to taste. Drink warm or at room temperature — no ice.
Cautions
- Avoid Job's tears during pregnancy.
- Mung beans are cold — go easy during your period or if you tend to get loose stools.
Chef's tips
- For maximum cooling, pour off the green liquid after the mung beans have boiled for 10 minutes; long-simmered, split beans lean more towards detoxing.
The TCM view
Mung beans are sweet and cold; they clear summer heat, detoxify and promote urination. Raw Job's tears are sweet, bland and slightly cold, draining damp and clearing heat. Together they tackle heat and damp at once — light, not cloying, and ideal when summer heat and damp are both heavy.
