Angelica and red date egg tea with toast
A Cantonese classic: eggs simmered with angelica root, red dates and brown sugar, made the night before and reheated, with crisp wholemeal toast.
- 50 min
- Serves 2
- Simmer
- Easy
Why it suits you: In winter, blood moves more sluggishly in blood-stasis types, bringing cold hands and feet, period pain and a dull complexion. Angelica nourishes and moves blood, while brown sugar and red dates warm the channels. The egg tea is made the night before, so in the morning you just reheat it and make toast.
Method
Prep 10 min · Cook 40 min- 1The night before, put the eggs in a pan of cold water, bring to the boil and cook for 8 minutes. Cool in cold water and peel.
- 2Bring the water to the boil with the angelica, red dates and ginger, then simmer for 20 minutes. Add the eggs and goji and simmer for 10 minutes more, stir in the sugar until dissolved, then cool and refrigerate.
- 3In the morning, reheat the egg tea while you toast the bread, and serve together hot.
Cautions
- Avoid angelica during heavy periods, in pregnancy or if you take blood-thinning medication.
Chef's tips
- Angelica has a strong taste — start with half the amount, and add a couple more red dates if you're not used to it.
The TCM view
Angelica is sweet, pungent and warm, nourishing and moving blood and easing period pain; brown sugar is sweet and warm, invigorating blood and dispersing cold; red dates are sweet and warm and nourish the spleen and blood; goji is sweet and neutral and nourishes the liver and kidneys; egg nourishes blood and yin; ginger warms the channels. Warm without being drying, it helps the blood flow.
