This Chinese Plum Juice is just like the ones you get from your favorite hot pot restaurant. It's so refreshing and has a hint of smokiness that makes it very unique from other drinks.
Can't get enough Chinese drinks? Try my Hong Kong Lemon Iced Tea next!
๐ฅก About This Recipe
Chinese Plum Juice is one of my FAVORITE Chinese drinks! It's sour, refreshing, and slightly smoky. The smokiness comes from smoked plums, which are unripe plums that have been smoked and then dried.
I know what you're thinking. How do dried plums make such a refreshing drink? I had the same question until I learned that Chinese plum juice is also made with dried hawthorn.
If you grew up in a Chinese household, you've probably had hawthorn candies before! It's better known as Hawflakes. They're the red, coin-shaped candies you buy from Asian markets. The fruit they're made with is extremely tart and is the same one used in Chinese plum juice.
๐ง Ingredients
- Smoked Plums: You can find these in the dried/herbal section of Chinese grocery stores. Sometimes, they're labeled as dried plums or prunes.
- Dried Hawthorn: This stuff is very sour and is what gives the drink its refreshing taste. If you bite into one, it tastes similar to an unripe apple. This is also available at Chinese grocery stores.
- White sugar: Traditionally, Chinese plum drink is prepared with rock sugar, but I always just use white sugar. I've done side-by-side taste tests, and literally no one I know can tell a difference. Rock sugar doesn't really have much taste, it's just less sweet than regular sugar.
- Salt: I do like to add a little bit of salt to enhance the flavors, and I think it makes a noticeable difference. Don't go overboard, though, as we don't want to be able to taste the salt.
- Optional ingredients: Many recipes will add dried orange peel, licorice root, or dried osmanthus flowers. If you want, you can add them. No need to measure, just pick a few and drop them in.
๐ช Instructions
STEP 1: In a medium pot, soak the dried plums and hawthorn in cold water for one hour.
STEP 2: After soaking, bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting, cover the pot, and let it simmer for one hour.
STEP 3: Once simmered, dissolve the sugar and salt into the juice.
STEP 4: Strain the juice into one or two jars, reserving the solids.
STEP 5: Using a pair of tongs, remove the plums from the solids and add them to the jar. Refrigerate until cold, then serve with ice.
In my opinion, this drink tastes best after the plums have soaked overnight. This gives the drink a smokier and more pronounced plum flavor. The juice will keep well for about one week in the fridge.
๐ญ Note on the sugar amount
While the amount of sugar might seem like a lot, it's necessary to balance the hawthorn's tartness. If sugar is a concern, you can dilute the drink when serving. For example, my wife likes to fill her cup about one-fourth of the way with juice and then top it off with water. Surprisingly, it's still very strong.
๐ Recipe
Chinese Plum Juice
Ingredients
- 100 g dried smoked plums (about 1 cup)
- 50 g dried hawthorns (about ยฝ a heaping cup)
- 10 cups water
- ยฝ cup sugar (add up to a ยผ cup more if you like it sweet)
- ยผ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
Instructions
- In a medium pot, soak the dried plums and hawthorn in cold water for one hour.
- After soaking, bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting, cover the pot, and let it simmer for one hour.
- Once simmered, dissolve the sugar and salt into the juice.
- Strain the juice into one or two jars, reserving the solids.
- Using a pair of tongs, remove the plums from the solids and add them to the jar. Refrigerate until cold, then serve with ice.
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