It’s been 9 weeks since I gave birth to Ezra, and I have learned so much. I have so many things to share with you guys — like my Confinement Nanny experience, my struggles (and now at peace) with Breastfeeding, and my list of “Things You (Actually, Really, and Only) Need During The First 2 Months of Mommyhood”. I will get into all of that soon I promise. But for now, as Ezra settles in soundly for a quick afternoon nap right in front of me, I thought I’d type out a quick Red Date Tea recipe I learned from my confinement nanny for all you mamas out there!
Okay I spoke too soon. He just woke up and I am typing this as I breastfeed.
As I was saying, I got my confinement nanny to teach me this recipe — amongst many other recipes — because for one, I love Red Date Tea, and two, I felt it was a great health booster post-delivery. I’ve been drinking this Red Date Tea ever since I got back home from the hospital; my nanny used to bottle up 3 to 4 tumblers worth of tea for me every day (now I just make myself a tumbler and cup worth). I must preface this recipe with this though: I cannot say for sure it will promise you x amount of breastmilk, but I do believe this tea, coupled with lots of fish in my diet, has helped me maintain a healthy amount of breastmilk, and has given it a sweet taste too. To each her own!
This is a very simple recipe that involves 6 different ingredients, most of which you can find at Traditional Chinese Medicinal Halls. All you need is water and a rice cooker, and this tea will be ready in an hour! The end result is a sweet, herbal drink which I drink both warm or chilled, depending on the weather!
Red Date Tea
Yields 400 – 500ml (Approx. to fill a tumbler and a cup)
Ingredients:
100g Seedless Red Dates
20g Goji Berries
4-6 Pieces of Black Dates*
35g China Longan (Do Not Use Thailand Longan)*
3 Pieces of “Bei Qi” Astragalus Roots*
3 Pieces of “Dang Shen” Codonopsis Pilosula*
1.5l water
*You can find these ingredients at any Traditional Chinese Medicinal Hall
Boiling Method:
1. Using a rice cooker, select the white rice setting, and boil for 1 hour
2. Use a strainer to sieve out the ingredients
3. Serve warm or chilled
—
Enjoy this recipe! If you’ve tried it and love it, let me know!
Love,
Drea
