I’m introducing you to jujube ginger tea today! I’ve been using jujubes in my cooking for years, so you have probably seen them in my recipes. This time it’s the main ingredient in this tea, something I have been drinking every day these days.
There are a lot of health benefits to jujubes and Koreans have long used them for their medicinal value. They have antioxidants to protect from cancer, and plenty vitamin C and calcium. They help fight depression, circulate blood, and strengthen teeth and bones! But the real reason to make this tea is that it is delicious, and it fills your house with a wonderful aroma while you’re boiling it.
I used to make this tea the traditional way, similar to how I made my bone broth, by boiling and boiling the jujubes in water for hours and hours and when the liquid got low, I would add more water and keep boiling. It took a long time and there was not much jujube flavor when I was finished. Then a few years ago I went to a tea house in Insadong in Seoul, Korea and had this tea. Theirs was thick and full of flavor. The taste was very good and I found I felt really good after drinking it.
They used the method I show you here, where they boiled everything to a pulp and then squeezed that through a strainer. The final tea is thick, not clear, but very sweet and delicious. I like it a lot better. Enjoy the tea!
Ingredients
Serves 3 to 4
- 4 ounces dried jujubes
- 1 ounce peeled ginger, sliced thinly
- 6 cups water
- 1 cinnamon stick
- pine nuts, tips removed
Directions
- Wash jujubes in cold running water and rub them with both hands to remove any dirt. Drain.
- Slice into the side of each jujube with a sharp kitchen knife and add to a heat resistant glass kettle (or stainless steel pot).
- Add ginger, cinnamon stick, and water. Cover and cook over medium low heat for 30 minutes. You may have to crack the lid if the kettle or pot is small, because it will easily boil over.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1 hour. Remove from the heat.
- Pour through a large stainless steel strainer over a large bowl. Mash and press down the solids with a wooden spoon so that the jujube pulp goes through the strainer.
- Press the dregs of the liquid well with the wooden spoon so as not to waste. Discard.
- Put the strained tea into the kettle (or pot) and reheat. Pour into cups, sprinkle with some pine nuts, and serve.
1. If I don’t want to drink it all at once – how should it be stored? (put in the refrigerator and then heated? how many days can it be safely stored?)
2. Should I be extracting the pits from the jujubes before brewing?
thanks :-) !!!
You can store it in the refrigerator up to a week.
When you pit dried jujubes, some sticky flesh stays on the pits, so you’ll get a little less fruit.
Where can I buy that boiling kettle?
Thank you
Do the pine nuts add something in the way of flavor, or will the tea taste just as well without them?
I love to add several pine nuts just before drinking it because they give a little nutty flavor with a nice texture when I chew them. But if pine nuts are not available, skip them. You still can enjoy the tea.
I absolutely love this tea! My partner and I have gotten into making it all the time this winter, and I don’t know what it is but this tea also makes us sleep so well! It’s so warming and wonderful, just like Maangchi! ❤️
I’m happy to hear that you are enjoying this tea!
I’m also having jujube ginger tea everyday these days. Cheers!
I wanted to make a double batch of jujube tea, but didn’t want to stand by the stove for a long time, so I made it in a slow cooker. It worked great! I made everyone in my family have a cup and they all enjoyed it. House smells wonderful, too. Here’s to good health in the new year!
Great news!
This recipe is fantastic! I made it tonight and drank a cup. My stomach had been a little upset but after I drank the tea I felt so much better! Thank you, you are the very best!
This recipe looks wonderful. Do Koreans ever drink this tea iced?
Sure, why not?
bonjour Maangchi ! Ici en France, on fait bouillir des queues de cerise pour la bonne circulation du sang et la vitamine C ! avec un peu de miel pour stimuler les défenses immunitaires. bises de Paris. Cindy