Toasted Job's tears, hyacinth bean & tangerine peel tea
Toasted Job's tears and white hyacinth beans with aged tangerine peel and ginger — nutty, sugar-free, and one flask lasts all afternoon.
- 55 min
- Serves 2
- Simmer
- Easy
Why it suits you: Phlegm-Dampness feels heavy and sleepy with a thick tongue coating, and the outer damp of Rain Water stirs up inner damp. Toasting takes the chill off Job's tears and hyacinth beans so they strengthen digestion and clear damp — a sugar-free swap for bubble tea.
Method
Prep 5 min · Cook 50 min- 1No ready-toasted coix seed? Dry-fry raw Job's tears in a wok over low heat for 8–10 minutes until pale golden and nutty; toast the hyacinth beans the same way for 5 minutes.
- 2Soak the tangerine peel until soft and scrape off the white pith; give the grains and beans a quick rinse.
- 3Bring everything to the boil with the water over high heat, then simmer for 40 minutes. No sugar needed.
- 4Strain into a flask and sip it warm, a little at a time, through the afternoon.
Cautions
- Avoid Job's tears tea during pregnancy.
Chef's tips
- Herbal shops sell ready-toasted coix seed and hyacinth beans — one bag lasts several weeks.
- Don't throw out the cooked grains: add rice the next morning and turn them into congee.
The TCM view
Job's tears are sweet, bland and slightly cold, milder once toasted, and drain dampness; white hyacinth beans are sweet and slightly warm and transform damp; aged tangerine peel is pungent, bitter and warm, moves qi and dries phlegm-damp; ginger is pungent and warm and warms the middle. Neutral to slightly warm, with no sugar or fat — clears phlegm-damp without chilling the spleen.
