Salt-Steamed Orange

Why people make this

Most people know that eating raw citrus during a cough can make things worse — the cooling, phlegm-promoting nature of raw orange is not helpful when your airways are already congested. But generations of Chinese families also know that cooking the orange completely changes its properties. The compounds in the peel — including naringenin and orange peel oil — are associated with cough suppression and phlegm dissolution in the traditional literature, and these are released more fully when the orange is steamed whole. A pinch of salt draws these active compounds out further. The result is a warm, fragrant remedy that is easy enough for a child and effective enough that parents keep coming back to it. It takes 20 minutes and uses ingredients almost everyone has at home.

Method

1. Wash the orange skin very thoroughly (scrub with salt and rinse well to remove pesticide residue, since the peel is part of the treatment).
2. Cut off the top portion of the orange to form a lid.
3. Use a knife to score the orange flesh inside with a few cuts.
4. Sprinkle a very small pinch of salt over the exposed flesh.
5. Replace the top as a lid and secure with a toothpick.
6. Place in a bowl and steam over boiling water for 20 minutes.
7. Remove and use a spoon to press and squeeze out the juice from the peel and flesh.
8. Drink the warm juice and eat the flesh. Repeat for 3 consecutive days.

Nourilo’s Tips

Be sure you are using a true orange (cheng zi), not a mandarin or tangerine — they look similar but behave very differently. Mandarin and tangerine are warming and will not have the cough-relieving effect. For young children, omit the salt entirely and drizzle a little honey over the flesh after steaming — this makes it more palatable and honey itself has a mild soothing effect on the throat. Wash the skin extremely well before steaming as pesticide residue on citrus skin is common.