Almond Tea (Xingren Cha)

Almond tea is a traditional Kaifeng sweet drink: almond powder is whisked with boiling water into a smooth gruel, then dressed with more than a dozen toppings such as almonds, peanuts, sesame, rose, osmanthus, raisins and goji berries, fragrant and silky.

Said to have passed from the imperial court into common kitchens, it is a distinctive Kaifeng beverage, often sold fresh-whisked to order at night-market stalls.

Drunk hot, the silky gruel carries a wash of fruit and nut aromas; a bowl topped with assorted dried fruits warms and soothes, a hallmark sweet drink of Kaifeng's night markets.

It is defined by the freshly whisked almond gruel crowned with many dried fruits and preserves, silky and softly sweet.