Yuja Tea Korean Citron Tea Recipes

YUJA TEA (KOREAN CITRON TEA) RECIPE

Steps:

• Sterilize a glass jar in a pot of boiling water.
• Rinse the yuja fruit in running water. You may use bi-carb soda and/or coarse salt to scrub the yuja skin. Pat dry yuja with some paper towels.
• Separate the yuja - rind, pulp and juice, pith and seeds. Discard the pith and seeds. Thinly slice the yuja rind in even shapes and sizes. If you need more tips on this step, refer above "Tips for Preparing Yuja for Marmalade".
• Blend the yuja pulp and juice (but not the rind) in a mixer or blender. (Depending on the volume of yuja-cheong you're making, you may need to use a handheld blender instead).
• Combine blended yuja with sugar in a clean bowl and mix them well. Place the sliced yuja rind in the sterilized jar then pour over the yuja and sugar mixture. Stir with a clean teaspoon.
• Close the lid and sit the jar at room temperature until the sugar dissolves. Depending on the volume, it may take a few days to dissolve all the sugar. During this time, stir the yuja-cheong using a clean teaspoon everyday.
• Transfer the jar into the fridge until used up. The marmalade taste improves as times goes by. (i.e. It tastes better from week 1 to 2 of making it. Also the subtle bitterness improves from week 3 of making it.)
• Dissolve 2-3 teaspoonfuls of yuja-cheong (yuja marmalade) into a cup of water. Serve. (You can eat the yuja rind if you wish.)

YUJA (CITRON) TEA WITH ANY CITRUS FRUIT

Steps:

• Add glass jars to a pot of water. Boil for about one minute to sterilize the jars. Set the jars aside to cool and dry.
• Rinse the citrus. Scrub the outside skin of the citrus with baking soda and/or salt. Let the citrus air-dry or pat dry with clean towels.
• Slice the citrus thinly into roughly equal sizes. Make sure to remove any seeds to prevent bitterness.
• Add the sliced citrus to a clean bowl with the sweetener and toss well to combine. Then, you can choose to dissolve the sugar using three different ways:
• Microwave: Microwave the citrus sugar mixture in intervals (30 seconds - 1 minute), stirring in-between until all of the sugar is incorporated.
• Stovetop: Add the marmalade mixture to a pot. Place it on a stove and cook until all of the sugar dissolves. (This process will cause the texture to slightly resemble jam, which is closer to how yuja tea is sold in stores. However, the taste will remain the same).
• Letting the mixture sit: Add the marmalade mixture to the sterilized jars. Close the jars and let them sit at room temperature for 1-3 days until the sweetener has dissolved. You can use a clean spoon to stir the marmalade each day to help speed up the process.
• Pour the prepared marmalade mixture into a jar, and store in the fridge. The citrus slices will continue to sweeten as it sits in the syrup. The marmalade will last for about a month.
• In a cup, mix all of the ingredients together. Enjoy hot or cold.

KOREAN YUJA CHA (YUZU CITRON TEA)

Steps:

• Slice the yuja fruits thinly and quarter them. Leave the peel intact but remove the seeds.
• In a large bowl, dissolve the honey in the warm water, making a thick syrup.
• Add the yuja fruit slices to the honey mixture, mixing to combine to make the yuja chung (yuja marmalade).
• Keep in a closed container at room temperature for one day and then store in the refrigerator.
• To make tea, dissolve 1 spoonful of yuja chung into hot water.
• When you drink the tea, you also eat the bits and pieces of yuja fruit and rind that come your way.