Dried Tangerine Peel

The Cantonese calls it "Chan Pei" and every Chinese New Year when they are in abundance, I would collect them from everyone's palms and laps as they are peeling them off the fruits. I make sure to wash them off good as one never knows where the fruits may have been from the time they are removed from the trees to the time they land in my shopping cart. With a thin wire, I string the peels up like you would a beaded necklace and then hang it up in the kitchen to airdry.

It takes a good month or so for them to completely dry out and I use them in soups and braises. The Cantonese say that tangerine peels help to clear your throats of phlagm.