Wedang jahe
Hot ginger drink
Wedang jahe: hot Javanese ginger drink with lemongrass and palm sugar
When the evening rain comes in over Yogyakarta, angkringan street stalls start ladling out wedang jahe, a fiery hot drink of grilled, bruised ginger and lemongrass simmered with palm sugar. It is sipped slowly from glasses alongside sticky rice snacks and fried tofu, and families make it at home whenever the weather turns cool. Chef's tip: grill or dry-roast the ginger until scorched before bruising it; raw ginger gives a sharper but flatter drink, without the smoky depth.
- Total time
- 20 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 3 ½ oz fresh gingerunpeeled
- 2 stalks lemongrassbruised and knotted
- 2 ⅞ oz palm sugarchopped
- 1 pandan leaf (optional)knotted
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 litre water
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (1)
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Char 3 ½ oz fresh ginger directly over a gas flame or in a dry pan over high heat, turning, until blackened in patches and fragrant.
4 minStep 2: Scrape off the burnt skin, slice the ginger thickly and bash the slices with a pestle or rolling pin to split them.
Step 3: Put the ginger, 2 stalks lemongrass, 2 ⅞ oz palm sugar, 1 pandan leaf and 1 pinch salt in a pan with 1 litre water. Bring to the boil, then simmer until the drink is golden and the ginger heat catches the back of your throat.
10 minStep 4: Strain into glasses and serve hot.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 85 kcal
- Protein
- 0 g
- Carbs
- 22 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does wedang jahe take?
- About 20 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 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.
- 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 palm sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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