Fox nut, poria & tangerine peel drink
Fox nuts and poria slow-simmered with a little aged tangerine peel into a lightly sweet brew — eat the chewy fox nuts too. Drains damp without upsetting the stomach.
- 1 hr 15 min
- Serves 4
- Simmer
- Easy
Why it suits you: Phlegm-Dampness types feel heavy, foggy and tired. As Frost's Descent cools, the damp lingers but cold, raw food no longer appeals. Fox nuts and poria strengthen digestion and drain damp, and tangerine peel moves qi and clears phlegm — a mild, lightly sweet afternoon drink in place of milk tea.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 60 min- 1Rinse the fox nuts and poria and soak in water for 30 minutes. Soak the tangerine peel until soft and scrape off the white pith.
- 2Bring the water to the boil with the fox nuts, poria and red dates. Boil for 10 minutes, then simmer for 45 minutes.
- 3Add the tangerine peel for 10 minutes, then stir in the slab sugar until dissolved. Eat the fox nuts along with the drink.
Cautions
- Fox nuts are astringent — go easy if you're constipated or bloated, and pause while you have a cold.
Chef's tips
- Soaking the fox nuts first makes them softer. The older the tangerine peel, the more fragrant — one piece is plenty, as too much turns bitter.
The TCM view
Fox nuts are sweet, astringent and neutral, supporting the kidneys and spleen, stopping loose stools and drying damp. Poria is sweet, bland and neutral, draining damp and strengthening the spleen. Tangerine peel is pungent, bitter and warm, moving qi, drying damp and resolving phlegm. Red dates tonify the middle, and the small amount of sugar won't feed damp. Mild and slightly warm, it supports digestion and drains damp.
