Question: In class, you often mention great gift ideas using Chinese herbs. I would love to do something like that this year but feel overwhelmed with the many possibilities and don't know where to start. Do you have any ideas?
Answer: I enjoy making a rosebud-infused wine to give as a gift. Start with a good white wine (I like to use something slightly sweet, like a Muscat or a Riesling), and remove half the wine to another container, to make room for the rosebuds. Use about half a cup of the rosebuds (Mei Gui Hua), making sure they are very fragrant. Insert the rosebuds into the wine, cork it, turn the bottle on its side, and refrigerate it for about two weeks. Beyond that, it might get too strong. Strain the wine and save the rosebuds if you can use them soon in a decoction for invigorating blood and relieving pain. The reason I prefer to use white wine is that it takes on a beautiful rosy color. But you could use red wine! The result in either case will be a wine with a wonderful rose fragrance.
I made a fun Christmas gift last year for a woman who loves to cook: I packaged five edible cooking herbs in pretty net bags (the kind in which jewelry is sometimes stored), and labeled them with suggestions on use.
These are the herbs I gave:
Fenugreek Seeds (Hu Lu Ba)
Infuse seeds in warm milk or cream for half an hour till the milk has a caramel flavor and color; use this milk or cream in any recipe such as rice pudding, crème brûlée, etc.
Nutmeg (Rou Dou Kou)
Grate whole nutmeg for eggnog or other creamy drinks; use with meat dishes such as Moussaka or other exotic casseroles; use in fruit desserts such as pear and apple crumbles or clafoutis.
White Pepper (Bai Hu Jiao)
Grind freshly to use in any cream sauce that calls for pepper; it helps cut the richness of anything with cheese or milk, such as a gratin of potatoes or cauliflower.
Star Anise (Da Hui Xiang)
Use with cloves, stick cinnamon and black peppercorns to spice fruits like French prunes or pears, apricots or peaches; use some red wine with it and then serve these fruits with sausages or pork roast.
Cinnamon Bark (Rou Gui)
Use in any recipe calling for cinnamon sticks, or just infuse them into any tea to warm and spice it up.
I also give single herbs packaged in pretty boxes for people I think will use them and for whom they are appropriate. Good ones are He Shou Wu (especially if you can get the very thinly sliced, nested ones), and Bai He for people who would be motivated to cook them into food.
You could also make spiced dried plums (get the good French plums at a specialty shop; they are called Pruneaux d’Agen) and simmer them for five minutes in red wine, star anise, cinnamon sticks, a bay leaf, and some peppercorns. Then package them in nice glass jars with instructions on what they go with (they would be great served alongside any meat, like turkey, pork, sausages, even beef). They should survive two weeks after cooking.
You could also take some pretty herbs (like star anise, Gou Ji, cinnamon or Bing Lang) and make them into ornaments to hang on a Christmas tree. If they are fragrant, even better!
Please direct any questions you may have to Julie Chambers, L.Ac. at info@juliechamberslac.com