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Sujeonggwa
Cinnamon persimmon punch
수정과 · cinnamon and ginger punch with dried persimmons
After a big Seollal feast in Seoul, sujeonggwa comes out ice-cold in small bowls, dark red-brown and fragrant with cinnamon and ginger, with a soft dried persimmon and a few pine nuts floating in each one. It is the punch of the New Year season, made a day or two ahead and kept on a cold balcony. The cinnamon and ginger are boiled separately and then combined, which keeps each flavour clean. The common mistake is boiling the cinnamon too long or too hard: it turns bitter and cloudy, so keep it to a gentle simmer. Contains pine nuts. Chef's tip: soak the dried persimmons in the cooled punch only a few hours before serving, so they soften without falling apart.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
- 2 ⅞ oz fresh gingerpeeled and thinly sliced
- 1 ⅜ oz cinnamon sticksabout 6–8 sticks, rinsed
- 2.5 litre waterdivided
- 5 ½ oz dark brown sugar
- 4 dried persimmonsstalks removed, flattened
- 1 tbsp pine nuts
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (1)
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Simmer 2 ⅞ oz fresh ginger in 1.25 litres of 1.3 litre water in one pot, and 1 ⅜ oz cinnamon sticks in the other 1.25 litres of 1.3 litre water in a second pot, over a medium-low heat for 40 minutes each. Both should smell strong and the cinnamon water should be reddish-brown.
40 minStep 2: Strain both through a fine sieve or muslin into one pot and discard the solids.
Step 3: Add 5 ½ oz dark brown sugar and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring until it dissolves. Taste: it should be sweet and spicy, like a strong tea.
5 minStep 4: Cool completely, then chill overnight.
Step 5: A few hours before serving, drop 4 dried persimmons into the cold punch to soften. Slice them, or leave whole, and serve each bowl with a piece of persimmon and a few 1 tbsp pine nuts floating on top.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 120 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 1 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sujeonggwa take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 50 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of fresh ginger?
- ¼ tsp ground ginger per tbsp fresh (add it with the spices).
- What can I use instead of cinnamon sticks?
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon per stick.
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