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Chinese Herbal Tea in a glass next to a teapot of tea with sweetened wintermelon in front of it
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5 from 8 votes

Chinese Herbal Tea (涼茶)

Our Chinese Herbal Tea is the perfect way to balance your energy. Served hot or cold, it only needs 4 ingredients and can be easily modified!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: Asian, Cantonese, Chinese
Servings: 8
Calories: 18kcal
Author: Jeannette

Equipment

  • Colander
  • Strainer

Ingredients

  • 30 g / 0.07 lb dried prunella vulgaris (we get it from Chinese medicinal herb shops)
  • 2 1/2 L / 10.6 US cup water
  • 30 g / 0.07 lb sweetened wintermelon (we buy it from Asian supermarkets)
  • 100 g / 0.22 lb carrot

Instructions

  • Start by washing the prunella vulgaris in a bowl of cold water. Grab two handfuls and squeeze the water out, then put it in a colander. Do this until all the dried herbs are in the colander.
  • Pour the water out and rinse it until clean, then refill with fresh water. Tip the herbs back in and repeat the washing another 2 times.
    Note: If you find that there is still sand or dirt, keep changing the water and washing until the bowl is clear of impurities.
  • Wash and peel the carrots.
  • Pour the water into a pot and add the washed herbs in. Cut the carrots into 2cm (0.8") chunks and throw them into the pot. Bring it to a boil, then simmer on medium heat for 30 minutes.
  • Add the sweetened wintermelon in and let it boil for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and strain the tea into a teapot.
  • Serve it hot as is or put the teapot in the fridge for a few hours to enjoy as a cold beverage!

Video

Notes

  • Wash the dried herbs thoroughly. Make sure to remove as much of the impurities as you can. This will leave you with a cleaner, fresher taste.
  • Sweeten a bit at a time. To get the perfect balance of bitter and sweet, add your preferred sweetener a little bit at a time and taste as it cooks. This prevents over sweetneing the drink.
  • Don't overboil. Keep the pot simmering rather than boiling to stop the bitterness from overtaking the Chinese Herbal Tea.
  • We get the dried ingredients from our local Chinese medicinal shop, but if they're not available then you can change it up by using different sweeteners like fruit, sugar, vegetables and honey.
  • Prunella vulgaris can also be substituted with chrysanthemum, dandelions, jasmine, oolong, mint and ginseng.

Nutrition

Calories: 18kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 24mg | Potassium: 40mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 2088IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 1mg