Perilla Leaf and Black Soybean Tea

Why people make this tea

A small shop recently opened near the market, selling grains, vegetables and fruit more cheaply than the other produce stalls. Different beans, wheat, rice and coix seeds were all $10 a bag, while less commonly seen greens and herbs such as purslane, perilla leaves, red-back vegetable and mugwort were also very inexpensive. The shop was a little cluttered, but plenty of people were buying.

Nourilo picked up some unusually sweet, crisp plums as well. Since the shop had just opened, customers could choose them one by one, which made them particularly tempting. The fresh perilla leaves came in large bunches for only $10. With people frequently moving in and out of air-conditioned places during summer, and plenty of people coming down with colds lately, Nourilo thought of using some perilla leaves, traditionally turned to for releasing the exterior and dispelling cold.

Paired with green-kernel black soybeans and brewed as tea, perilla leaves are traditionally associated with regulating qi, supporting the spleen, dispelling cold and easing dampness. Because the ingredients would be difficult to finish in one or two sittings, Nourilo dry-toasts the black soybeans and perilla leaves until dry, then stores the mixture in a glass jar for convenient brewing.