Sugarcane & water chestnut drink
A Hong Kong neighbourhood favourite: sugarcane, water chestnuts and corn, silk and all, simmered into a clear, naturally sweet cooling drink for the whole family.
- 1 hr 15 min
- Serves 4
- Simmer
- Easy
Why it suits you: Damp-Heat types are prone to spots, a bitter mouth, bad breath and dark urine. Though Frost's Descent is cooler, autumn dryness plus cured meats and hotpot easily stoke internal heat. This old Hong Kong standby clears heat, generates fluids and promotes urination.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 60 min- 1Scrub the sugarcane, cut it into sections and split each into quarters. Keep the silk on the corn, rinse and cut into chunks.
- 2Peel the water chestnuts and crush them lightly with the back of a knife. Peel the carrot and cut into chunks.
- 3Bring the water to the boil, add everything and boil for 15 minutes, then simmer over medium-low heat for 45 minutes.
- 4Taste — the sugarcane is usually sweet enough, so only add rock sugar if needed. Strain and drink warm or at room temperature.
Cautions
- It's cold in nature — go easy if you have a weak, cold stomach or loose stools, or during your period.
Chef's tips
- Choose dark-skinned sugarcane with long gaps between the joints for the sweetest flavour. Don't pull off the corn silk — it does most of the damp-draining work.
The TCM view
Sugarcane is sweet and cold, clearing heat, generating fluids and easing dryness. Water chestnut is sweet and cold, clearing heat and phlegm and aiding digestion. Corn is sweet and neutral and settles the stomach, while its silk drains damp and clears heat. Carrot is sweet and neutral, supporting digestion and softening the overall coldness. Together they clear damp-heat and moisten dryness.
