Sour Plum Soup

Sour Plum Soup

Sour Plum Soup is a home-style drink at difficulty 2/5 (Easy), about 359 kcal. Sour Plum Soup is a traditional sweet and sour, cooling beverage that relieves s. Ingredients and step-by-step instructions are below, with notes for home cooking.

Difficulty

2 / 5

★★☆☆☆

Easy
Estimated Calories

359 kcal

Ingredients

  • Water
  • Dark Jujube (Wuzao)
  • Dark Plum (Wumei)
  • Dried Hawthorn Slices (Raw)
  • Yellow Rock Sugar
  • Licorice Root
  • Dried Tangerine Peel/Shaddock Peel
  • Cardamom
  • Dried Osmanthus Flowers

Steps

  1. Rinse the herbal ingredients (excluding dried osmanthus flower and rock sugar). Soak 1.5 liters of water at room temperature for at least two hours (excluding dried osmanthus and rock sugar).
  2. Bring to a boil over high heat, cover, reduce to low heat, and simmer for 40 minutes. This is the First Extraction.
  3. Place the rock sugar in a basin, pour the hot First Extraction (drained ingredients from the pot) into it, and stir until the rock sugar is completely dissolved.
  4. Return the ingredients to the pot, add 600 ml of fresh water, bring to a boil over high heat, cover, reduce to medium heat, and simmer for 20 minutes. This is the Second Extraction.
  5. Finally, mix the Second Extraction and the rock sugar water while hot to combine. When the final soup reaches 60-70°C, add the dried osmanthus flowers (do not exceed 80°C), cover, and let cool before refrigerating for at least 3 hours.
  6. Remember to strain out the dried osmanthus flowers before serving. It is meant to be sipped slowly like tea; the coolness refreshes the teeth, the sourness wakes you up, the sweetness is moderate, and the flavor is rich and lingering.

Notes

Sour Plum Soup is a traditional sweet and sour, cooling beverage that relieves summer heat. It is especially refreshing when served chilled. The ingredients in the recipe (dark plum, hawthorn, licorice, etc.) help promote saliva production and quench thirst, promote digestion, and improve appetite. The preparation is simple and beginner-friendly, requiring only soaking, boiling, and refrigerating. The entire process, including soaking, two rounds of extraction, and refrigeration, takes more than 6 hours, so it is recommended to prepare in advance.

Estimated Cooking Difficulty: ★★
Estimated Calories: 359 kcal
Category: Sour Plum Soup

Quantities Reference:
- Water: 2 liters
- Dark Jujube: 25 grams
- Dark Plum: 25g
- Yellow Rock Sugar: 100 grams
- Hawthorn Slices: 30 grams
- Licorice Root: 2 grams
- Dried Tangerine Peel: 4 grams
- Cardamom: 1 gram
- Dried Osmanthus Flowers: 3 grams

All the above quantities can be scaled up or down proportionally.

It tastes best after refrigeration.

If you encounter problems or find improvements in the process following this guide, please feel free to open an Issue or submit a Pull request.

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