Double-boiled loquats with ophiopogon root
Fresh loquats double-boiled with ophiopogon root — sweet, gently tart and soothing for a dry throat and a restless heart.
- 1 hr
- Serves 2
- Double-boil
- Easy
Why it suits you: Yin Deficiency brings a dry mouth, warm palms and light sleep, and the heat at Start of Summer makes the heart restless. Sweet-tart loquats generate fluids and ophiopogon nourishes yin and calms the heart — moistening without being too cold.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 45 min- 1Rinse the ophiopogon and soak for 10 minutes. Wash the loquats, peel off the skin, halve them and remove the seeds and inner membrane.
- 2Put the loquats, ophiopogon, candied date and rock sugar in a double-boiling pot, pour in 400 ml of hot water and cover.
- 3Stand the pot in a wok or large pan with water halfway up its side. Once boiling, double-boil over medium-low heat for 45 minutes.
- 4Eat warm, loquats and all, or pour into a flask for the office.
Cautions
- Never eat the loquat seeds. Go easy if your digestion runs cold, or you have loose stools or a cough with thin white phlegm.
Chef's tips
- Choose golden loquats with a light bloom on the skin. Rubbing the skin all over with the back of a spoon first makes it much easier to peel.
The TCM view
Loquat is sweet, sour and cool; it moistens the lungs, generates fluids and settles the stomach. Ophiopogon is sweet, slightly bitter and slightly cold, nourishing yin and clearing heat from the heart. Candied date and rock sugar are sweet and neutral. Sour with sweet builds yin — moistening without heaviness, just as summer heat stirs heart fire and uses up fluids.
