Homemade Aged Tangerine Peel (Xin Hui Chen Pi)

Why people make this

Aged tangerine peel (chen pi) is a cornerstone of the Cantonese kitchen — a piece or two dropped into an everyday soup is traditionally said to help move qi and resolve phlegm. The Xin Hui winter tangerine is the prized source. The trick is patience: the greener the fresh peel, the more fragrant it becomes once dried and aged, and good peel needs at least three years of storage before use. And when an early cold and cough come on, that same peel becomes a quick warming tea with ginger and perilla.

Who it suits / who should be cautious

• Anyone who cooks home soups and wants a traditional qi-moving, phlegm-resolving aromatic; the warming tea suits the early stage of a cold with chills and cough
• Never use mouldy peel — discard any with white mould or off-smells
• For a persistent cough or yellow-green phlegm, please see a doctor

Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)

• Aged tangerine peel (chen pi): mature, well-aged peel is traditionally used to strengthen the spleen, move qi, dry damp and resolve phlegm. Bro Niu keeps the white inner pith on — it’s said to contain a compound (chen pi alcohol) traditionally associated with softening blood vessels.
• Fresh ginger (sheng jiang): warming, traditionally used to release the exterior and induce sweating.
• Perilla leaf (su ye): traditionally used at the onset of a chilly cold.
• Brown sugar (hong tang): warming and used to round out the tea.

Ingredients (1 batch of peel + 1 pot of tea)

Ingredient	Amount	Notes
Xin Hui winter tangerine peel	From several tangerines	Greener peel ages more fragrant
Chen pi (for tea)	~11 g	Use your aged peel
Fresh ginger (for tea)	~11 g
Perilla leaf (for tea)	~11 g
Brown sugar (for tea)	To taste	Dissolve at the end

Method

1. To dry the peel: Peel winter tangerines, thread the peel onto string or wire, and air-dry in a breezy spot for 5–6 days (bring indoors at night so it doesn’t reabsorb moisture). Dry until brittle enough to snap, then store. Age at least 3 years before use.
2. For the cold-and-cough tea: Simmer chen pi, ginger and perilla leaf in 2 bowls of water for 10 minutes. Stir in brown sugar until dissolved. Drink hot — it’s traditionally taken to release the exterior, induce sweating and ease a cough.

Bro Niu’s tips

The greener the Xin Hui winter peel, the stronger and more fragrant it becomes once aged. The peel in the photo has been stored 7–8 years — very fragrant and mellow; because it was air-dried rather than oven-baked, it stays a natural colour rather than turning blackish-brown. Keep the white pith on (it’s said to help with blood-vessel health), tuck in a couple of star anise to deter damp, and store in glass. Mouldy peel must be thrown away.

Community questions answered (selected)

• Q (Loretta): I aged some peel in a jar but forgot to re-dry it one year. It smells musty, though I see no mould. Is it still usable? Bro Niu: If there’s no mould, you can keep using it. Tuck in 2–3 star anise and air them out and re-store occasionally to help guard against damp.

• Q (reader): Do I have to remove the white pith? Some say leaving it on causes damp. Bro Niu: The white pith actually contains beneficial compounds said to soften blood vessels, so don’t remove it. A quick rinse before cooking is enough; the amounts used are small, so any moisture won’t matter.

• Q (Kit): I found white mould on peel stored in a box and threw those out, but I’m worried about carcinogens — should I discard all of it? Bro Niu: Mouldy peel can’t be used. Air-dry the rest for a few days; if mould reappears (white growth), discard it.

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Published October 22, 2010 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 3 min read.