Golden Monk Fruit, Tangerine Cake, Apricot Kernel, and Fig Tea

Why people make this tea

After a run of holiday feasting — rich foods, a little too much wine, late nights, and perhaps some fried snacks — it is very common to wake up with a dry, scratchy throat, a bitter taste in the mouth, or a nagging dry cough. In traditional Cantonese food therapy, this constellation of symptoms is associated with “excess heat” accumulating in the lungs and stomach, and the instinctive response is to drink something cooling, moistening, and gentle.

This tea uses the golden monk fruit (jin luo han guo), which Nourilo considers sweeter and more aromatic than the regular variety, as its centrepiece. Paired with tangerine cake — a candied tangerine with a characteristic warming and phlegm-clearing character — plus apricot kernels and figs, the result is a drink that is both genuinely pleasant and traditionally effective for this kind of mild heat-related discomfort.

Method

1. Crack the monk fruit open using a cleaver or heavy spoon.
2. Cut the tangerine cakes in half.
3. Rinse the apricot kernels.
4. Halve the dried figs.
5. Add all ingredients to a pot with 2.1–2.4 L of water.
6. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 45 minutes until the liquid reduces to about 1.2–1.5 L.
7. Serve warm or at room temperature; drink throughout the day.

Nourilo’s Tips

This tea is naturally sweet and suitable for the whole family. It is one of the most practical herbal teas to have on hand during recovery from respiratory illness or after a bout of excess. For long-COVID patients dealing with lingering dry cough, phlegm, or throat sensitivity, this tea can be very comforting. Keep a batch in the pot — it keeps well at room temperature through the day.