Chrysanthemum tea (菊花茶)
Dried chrysanthemum flowers steeped in hot water, sweetened with a little rock sugar. A golden, floral, slightly bitter drink, served hot or chilled, believed to 'cool' the body.
Dried chrysanthemum flowers steeped in hot water, sweetened with a little rock sugar. A golden, floral, slightly bitter drink, served hot or chilled, believed to 'cool' the body.
They imagine you, a star, with a champagne glass in your hand under the flashbulbs — but my drink, my everyday drink, was chrysanthemum infusion. My grandmother said it drives out the inner fire, the one you catch from working too hard. You pour hot water over the dried flowers, you drop in a piece of rock sugar, and you watch the gold rise in the cup. Between takes, when the spotlights burned my forehead, it was she who set me straight.
- •Dried chrysanthemum flowers — a handful (floral base)
- •Hot water (not boiling) — a pot (infusion)
- •Rock sugar — to taste (softens bitterness)
- •Goji berries (optional) — a few (sweetness and color)
Chrysanthemum tea (菊花茶)
Dried chrysanthemum flowers steeped in hot water, sweetened with a little rock sugar. A golden, floral, slightly bitter drink, served hot or chilled, believed to 'cool' the body.
Why this dish? In Cantonese tradition, one drinks 'cooling' (leung cha) to calm inner heat — that of long days, overwork, fatigue. For an actress caught up in film sets and tours, this floral tea, lightly sweetened with rock sugar, is the soothing gesture inherited from Chinatown, between takes.
They imagine you, a star, with a champagne glass in your hand under the flashbulbs — but my drink, my everyday drink, was chrysanthemum infusion. My grandmother said it drives out the inner fire, the one you catch from working too hard. You pour hot water over the dried flowers, you drop in a piece of rock sugar, and you watch the gold rise in the cup. Between takes, when the spotlights burned my forehead, it was she who set me straight.
Ingredients (period version)
- Dried chrysanthemum flowers — a handful (floral base)
- Hot water (not boiling) — a pot (infusion)
- Rock sugar — to taste (softens bitterness)
- Goji berries (optional) — a few (sweetness and color)
Ingredients
- Dried chrysanthemum flowers (food grade) — 8 to 10 flowers (base)
- Water at 85 °C — 500 ml (infusion)
- Rock sugar — 10 to 15 g, to taste (sweetness)
- Goji berries — 1 tbsp (optional) (color and sweetness)
Method
- Briefly rinse the chrysanthemum flowers under cold water.
- Place them in a teapot with, if desired, the goji berries and rock sugar.
- Pour hot water at 85 °C (not boiling, to avoid burning the flowers) and steep for 5 minutes.
- Serve golden and clear, hot; or let cool and serve chilled on warm days.
How it was made : Leung cha, 'cooling' infusions, belong to a long Cantonese tradition blending cuisine and wellness: the infusion was adapted to the season and the body's state. Chrysanthemum, mild and easy to find, was one of the most common in homes, as opposed to the bitter herbal leung cha sold in shops.
The contemporary twist : Serve it iced in a tall glass with a few goji berries floating up like pearls — a 'golden lemonade' from Chinatown for summer afternoons.
Anna May Wong · Charactorium