Chinese Ginger Tea

      Hey guys so Aunt Flo came for her monthly visit (if you know what I'm sayin' girls, *wink wink), and she gave me the cramps as usual. So Mom made Ginger Tea to help ease the pain. She said it helps blood circulation. 

      So of course you could be a lazy bum and just buy some in powder form and dissolve it in hot water, but there's no fun in that! So, I decided to share my mother's recipe for Chinese Ginger Tea. Yup! This time, no books or recipes to share from, this one's all mine. : D Okay, fine technically it's my mother's but I'm sure she wouldn't mind.

Chinese Ginger Tea

Ingredients:

2 cups of water

1 fresh ginger root

8 Red Dates

half a handful of Wolfberry Fruit

a slice of Chinese Angelica Root

5-6 pieces of rock sugar

(if rock sugar is unavailable, use 4-5 teaspoons of sugar)

 

How to Make:

Fill two cups of water, pour it into a pot and bring to a boil. Slice the ginger root into thin strips lengthwise and cut a slice from the Chinese Angelica Root. Toss the ginger into the pot first, then after five to ten minutes, add the Red Dates, Wolfberry Fruit and the slice of Chinese Angelica Root. Let boil for a few more minutes, then add in the rock sugar and stir till dissolved. Pour the tea through a filter into a teapot or cup and discard the rest of the herbs in the filter. Serve warm. (P.S. If you want, squeeze a few drops of lemon into your tea, it makes all the difference.)

Being a singer now I have to get all fussy...

I must have my ginger and lemon and all that.

~Graham Coxon

      I've tried it, totally helps. And its much better than the instant powder type that come in packets. Now, don't be too overwhelmed by the strange Chinese spices and their names. I bet you can find it in Chinatown or buy it online. But just to help you, here are some pictures of them:

 

These are Red Dates (Hong Zao  紅棗), my grandma makes wonderful Red Date Tea. I'll give you the recipe sometime.  All these Chinese herbs have lots of health benefits, this one treats the stomach and spleen.

 

These little dried orange seeds on your right are the Wolfberry Fruits or gou qi zi 枸杞子 as said in chinese. It's used for treating the kidney, lung and liver.

 

This here little thing, is the Chinese Angelica Root (dong quai 当归 ). It helps moisten dry intestines due to blood deficiency. There are also other uses and health benefits. It is also known as Angelica sinensis. What a pretty name.

      So, I really hope you enjoyed this recipe. I totally recommend it. Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angelica_sinensis http://www.yinyanghouse.com/theory/herbalmedicine/dang_gui_tcm_herbal_database http://chinese.herbs.webs-sg.com/articles_31.html http://chinese.herbs.webs-sg.com/articles_21.html