Steamed asparagus, egg & sweet potato with chrysanthemum tea
Sweet potatoes, eggs and asparagus steamed together in one wok, with a pot of chrysanthemum tea — light, fresh and filling.
- 30 min
- Serves 2
- Steam
- Easy
Why it suits you: A balanced constitution simply follows the season. As Awakening of Insects warms up and liver qi rises, asparagus and chrysanthemum clear heat and calm the liver, while sweet potato and eggs give steady energy — starch, protein and seasonal greens on one plate.
Method
Prep 10 min · Cook 20 min- 1Scrub the sweet potatoes and halve any large ones. Snap off the woody ends of the asparagus and cut into lengths.
- 2Put the sweet potatoes on a steaming rack and steam over boiling water on high heat for 8 minutes, then add the eggs in their shells and steam for 12 minutes more.
- 3Add the asparagus for the last 3 minutes. Put the eggs into cold water so they peel easily.
- 4Toss the asparagus with the sesame oil and a pinch of salt, and plate it with the sweet potatoes and halved eggs.
- 5Steep the chrysanthemum in the hot water for 5 minutes and sip it warm with breakfast.
Chef's tips
- Short on time? Steam the sweet potatoes and eggs the night before and refrigerate, then re-steam them with the asparagus for 4 minutes in the morning.
- Take the asparagus out as soon as it turns bright green — overcooked, it goes dull and limp.
The TCM view
Asparagus is sweet and cool and clears heat; chrysanthemum is sweet, bitter and slightly cold, calming the liver and brightening the eyes; sweet potato is sweet and neutral and supports digestion; eggs are sweet and neutral and nourish yin. The cool and neutral foods balance each other, so the plate is neutral overall — in step with the term's soothe-the-liver, nourish-yin principle.
