Fresh star fruit with Longjing green tea
Juicy star fruit sliced into little stars, with a cup of fragrant Longjing green tea — an afternoon snack that clears heat and refreshes.
- 10 min
- Serves 2
- Steep
- Easy
Why it suits you: A damp-heat constitution brings a bitter, sticky mouth, oily skin and spots, all worse in the humid heat of Grain in Ear. Star fruit clears heat, generates fluids and promotes urination, while Longjing green tea clears heat and damp and lifts the spirits. In place of sweet drinks and fried snacks, it's a clean, light afternoon break.
Method
Prep 5 min · Cook 5 min- 1Wash the star fruit, trim the dark, tough edges off the five ridges and slice across into stars.
- 2Put the tea leaves in a glass or teapot, rinse with a splash of 80°C water and pour it off, then add the rest of the water and steep for 2–3 minutes.
- 3Arrange the star fruit on a plate and serve with the tea; the leaves can be steeped twice more.
Cautions
- Star fruit contains oxalic acid and a neurotoxin and must never be eaten by anyone with kidney disease; avoid green tea in the evening if it disturbs your sleep.
Chef's tips
- Choose plump, golden star fruit with full ridges for sweetness; brew Longjing at 80°C, as boiling water makes it bitter.
The TCM view
Star fruit is sweet, sour and cold, clearing heat, generating fluids and draining water. Longjing is a green tea, sweet, bitter and slightly cold, clearing heat, promoting urination, aiding digestion and refreshing the mind. Together they clear damp-heat and quench thirst, helping this constitution through summer heat and humidity.
