Unlike so many other ingredients in traditional Chinese medicine, dried red dates, known as jujubes, have a sweet, mild and pleasant taste. In the packet, the dates look small and wrinkled, but after being simmered in medicinal soups, tonics or teas, they become plump, shiny and smooth. Red dates, which are used in sweet and savoury dishes, are considered warming (yeet hay) and highly nutritious. Because of their sweet taste, they are often simmered with other, less palatable Chinese medicinal ingredients to balance the bitter, strong flavours. The pits of the dates need to be removed before cooking.
Dried red dates are also sold in a honey syrup in jars, which is used to make instant tea (just add hot water). To make your own, simmer the pitted dates in water for one or two hours and add Chinese rock sugar to taste. You can also simmer the dates with dried longan (dragon's eye), which adds a smoky flavour to the tea.
For women experiencing menstrual pain, cook a fresh black chicken with one or two small pieces of dong quai (a dried root), pitted red dates and dried longan. Put the ingredients in a pot, cover with water and bring to the boil. Lower the heat, cover the pot and simmer slowly for several hours. The soup should be consumed in small quantities in the evening and the chicken meat can be dipped in oyster or soy sauce before eating. Store the soup in the fridge and heat a bowl as required, seasoning it to taste with salt. The dates and longan should be eaten to maximise the medicinal effect, but the dong quai is discarded.
To make a simple, home-style dish, marinate bite-size chicken pieces in soy sauce, rice wine, sugar, salt, white pepper and a little cornstarch. Mix with pitted red dates, soaked gum jum (also known as golden needles or lily buds; remove the hard stem end after soaking) and soaked 'wood ear' mushrooms. Put the ingredients in a heat-proof dish and steam for about 20 to 30 minutes. Sprinkle with diced spring onions and drizzle with sesame oil before serving.
Because of their colour, these dates are popular at Lunar New Year, when they are sometimes made into steamed, sweet rice pudding made of glutinous rice, gingko nuts, red beans, dried longan and other nuts and dried fruits. This pudding is not difficult to make but it is time-consuming, heavy (it's often made with lard) and old-fashioned. The dates are also used to garnish the Lunar New Year cake of neeh goh, which is made with glutinous rice flour and brown sugar.