Toasted Job's tears, poria & amomum tea
A sugar-free, damp-clearing tea with the nutty aroma of toasted Job's tears and the clean fragrance of amomum — it leaves you feeling lighter.
- 50 min
- Serves 2
- Simmer
- Easy
Why it suits you: Phlegm-Dampness dreads Grain Rain: the air is wet and muggy, the body feels heavy, the mouth sticky and meals leave you bloated. This sugar-free tea strengthens digestion, clears damp and moves phlegm, and toasting takes the chill off the Job's tears — a good swap for milk tea and sweets.
Method
Prep 10 min · Cook 40 min- 1Rinse the Job's tears and poria. Soak the tangerine peel until soft and scrape off a little of the pith. Crush the amomum pods with the flat of a knife.
- 2Put the Job's tears, poria, peel and ginger in 1 litre of water, bring to the boil, then simmer for 30 minutes.
- 3Add the amomum and simmer for 5 more minutes, then turn off the heat and leave covered for 5 minutes. Adding it late keeps its fragrance.
- 4Strain into a flask. No sugar needed — sip it warm through the afternoon.
Cautions
- Job's tears are not recommended in pregnancy, so skip this tea if you are pregnant.
Chef's tips
- No toasted Job's tears? Dry-fry raw ones in a wok over low heat for 8–10 minutes until lightly golden. Spring amomum (chun sha ren) from a herbal shop is the most fragrant.
The TCM view
Toasted Job's tears are sweet and bland, and toasting makes them neutral rather than cool; they support the spleen and drain damp. Poria is sweet, bland and neutral and drains water. Amomum is pungent and warm, resolves damp, wakes the appetite and moves qi — add it late to keep its aroma. Tangerine peel dries damp and resolves phlegm; ginger warms the middle. Light but not cold, it clears damp and revives digestion.
