Grocery Ninja: Yujacha, Korean Yuzu Tea
The Grocery Ninja leaves no aisle unexplored, no jar unopened, no produce untasted. Creep along with her below, and read all her mission reports here.
Before I moved to the Bay Area (land of Ranch 99 and accessible Asian foodstuffs), I used to cart heavy glass jars of yucheong (yuzu syrup) on the 24 hour flight back from Asia. My friends would save their luggage space for practical things like textbooks (usually one-third the price of what you would pay here). But I would splurge all my luggage space on jars of this golden goodness. Because when the days are long and dreary, and when it seems like the weekend will never arrive, and that the work keeps piling up, nothing in the world is better than a steaming mug of yujacha (yuzu tea made from dissolving yucheong in hot water).
Photograph from Kei! on Flickr
Believed to be the hybrid of the sour mandarin and the Ichang lemon, the yuzu is a golf ball-sized citrus fruit. It originated from China, but today is most widely cultivated in Korea and Japan, and was first smuggled into California in 1888 by homesick Japanese-Americans. It has been described as tasting of limes, lemons, and grapefruit—all at once—but that description strikes me as clothing a beautiful woman in a coarse potato sack.
When you are presented with a cup of yujacha, it's the scent that hits you first. An unmistakable, inimitable, floral-fruity spiciness rushes up your nose, clearing your sinuses and thoughts. The first sip lingers on your palate—its flavor warm and full—inviting you to take the next sip, and another, and before you know it, your day isn't going too badly after all.
To make yucheong, yuzu are peeled and pithed. The peel is thinly sliced, the pith is discarded, and the remaining fruit is cut into two or three sections. The peel is then alternately layered with pulp and sugar and left at room temperature till the sugar dissolves. At this point, the yucheong is stored in the fridge for a week before it's ready to be used—for tea (excellent when nursing a cold), in baking, or simply as a breakfast spread. (Or you could just, you know, go and pick it up from Ranch 99.)
Besides yucheong, yuzu also appears in yuzu miso, yuzu kosho (yuzu rinds ground with hot peppers and salt), yuzu vinegar, yuzu dust (dried, powdered yuzu rinds), and in salad and soba dressings (usually soy sauce or dashi-based). I spend a heinous amount of money on yuzu-things (including body moisturizer and shower gel), and am resolved: When I grow up, I will have a yuzu tree in my backyard. It will be my own, personal, gloriously selfish stash of yuzu. And it is so that I will be able to do this:
Photograph from tamaki on Flickr
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20 Comments:
That tea is one of the best things ever. My husband refers to it as "pennicillin tea" because it makes him feel so much better when he's sick. We always have at least one big jar of it in the house.
trillian42 at 11:12AM on 03/09/09
We bought a jar at the grocery store a year ago. It looked so delicious to my husband that he grabbed it when I wasn't looking and threw it in the cart. I saw the giant jar of what looked like marmalade while we were at the checkout. That same jar still sits in our fridge hardly touched. My husband adores citrus, and since it was his, I didn't touch it.
I'll toss this jar and get a jar to check out myself...unless it's ok after a year in the fridge? I don't like bitter things (certain varieties of grapefruits) though. I grew up with yuzu marinades so this doesn't sound like something I'd dislike...?
Thanks for the reminder. :P
Cassaendra at 11:27AM on 03/09/09
i couldn't survive winter without this magical stuff. i drink it to stay warm and fight off colds but most of all, because it is so sweet and citrusy that it makes me think of summer. i never thought about baking with it - have to try that soon
luckycloud29 at 11:48AM on 03/09/09
This stuff is amazing when I feel a cold coming on. I don't know if it actually cures me or if it's just psychological but I FEEL so much better. It's delicious and wonderful and magical. I drank loads of it when I was in college. I'd read the ingredients and wonder what the heck a citron was.
LHSK12 at 11:57AM on 03/09/09
"Yuzu honey" is also great when mixed with soda water, which makes a refreshing drink on a warm day. I like it in Greek yogurt or as a spread on toast as well.
dreamsicle at 12:09PM on 03/09/09
Cassaendra: I'm fairly certain the jar that has been sitting in your fridge is fine (especially if it's unopened), but if you're worried, they're selling for about $7 for a huge jar at Ranch -- not a huge expense for peace of mind and major yumminess =) There is some bitterness tempered by sweet and tart (kind of like marmalade), but you say you like yuzu marinades, so...
dreamsicle: I am in full agreement =p
trillian42 and LHSK12: I introduced this to my housemates when a bug was going around and everyone was seemingly coming down with a cold/sore throat/cough... it made for lots of companionable sipping/sniffling around the kitchen table... it's certainly a comfort/feel better/think warm, happy thoughts drink!
onedaylingers at 12:54PM on 03/09/09
Oh wow... I'm yuzu crazed, but it's still pretty new to me. Must investigate yujacha further. Thanks so much for the overview!
missginsu at 12:55PM on 03/09/09
luckycloud29: I’ve made a yuzu pound cake using this recipe http://wlteef.blogspot.com/2008/12/kamquat-butter-cake.html
by Florence of “Do What I Like” in Hong Kong (substituting yucheong for kumquat preserves). I’ve also experimented with chocolate and yuzu cupcakes and yuzu thumbprints. Very, very good!
onedaylingers at 1:03PM on 03/09/09
Thank you for expounding the delights of this fabulous stuff! Now I must go out and search for my own yuzu tea. I find this quite exciting!
Oh I know what you mean about having a yuzu tree of your own. I am carefully cultivating my own Meyer lemon tree, now in bloom at 6" tall. Soon my little one....soon.
Pointy at 1:48PM on 03/09/09
There is a vendor in Seattle who is selling Yuzu trees. We just bought ours and can't wait to see if it produces. Supposedly we'll have fruit within 2 years. For $20, it was a very worthwhile experiment.
For anyone in Seattle, the vendor is Rockridge Orchards.
cooklocal at 2:25PM on 03/09/09
I love all these jammy tea mixes! In addtion to the Yuzu one, I also always have a jujube (date) one in the fridge. It's like my white wine and red wine.
engill at 5:41AM on 03/10/09
They used to sell small jars of "citron honey" at trader joes. It was really yummy, and now, unfortunately discontinued.
ulyric at 6:46AM on 03/10/09
engill: I was going write about red date and honey tea in a few weeks ;) Do you like the ginger-honey ones?
ulyric: get thee to a Ranch 99 or a Korean grocery =)
onedaylingers at 12:10PM on 03/10/09
cooklocal: Thank you for the information! I'm a long way from having my own backyard, but I about to have my own balcony... maybe I'll be able to grow a little yuzu tree! Does anyone know about yuzu plants in the Bay Area?
onedaylingers at 12:13PM on 03/10/09
Yuja Cha is great for roasting meats, especially when mixed with Spanish smoked paprika. I've done this successfully on chicken and duck but kinda failed on the "mystery birds" I bought one time.
http://www.zenkimchi.com/FoodJournal/?p=993
ZenKimchi at 4:29AM on 03/11/09
Zenkimchi: I was thinking it would work well with duck, salmon, or even extra-firm tofu, but hadn't thought about mixing in paprika -- I'll have to try that out!
onedaylingers at 12:01PM on 03/11/09
i LOVE yujacha! i've been craving that all winter, along with shikhae and that one korean cereal drink made out of grains...? anyway, thanks for this post; reminds me i gotta lug a jar or two back to denmark on my way back from california. :D
atherosclerosis at 1:26PM on 03/12/09
I went to the local Asian foods store, and what they had is called Honey Citron Tea, I bought a jar. The rest of the label is in Korean, so I can't read the directions, any one know how much I use, per say, an 8 oz cup of hot water? BTW, is it a different variety that has honey in it? I'd really like to find the brand that was shown in the article, is there a brand name I can search for, or an online store that carries that specific one?
Mares at 7:46PM on 03/15/09
This stuff is amazing. H Mart was having a promotional sales on the XXL-sized jar! Needless to say we jumped on that one, quick.
Nothing like a big, steaming mug of yuzu tea to melt away what ails you, colds or stress.
And don't forget the pulp is edible after you're done with your tea! It's delicious, too!
@Mares:
I have to check the jar to see what the ingredients are exactly.
It's all to taste, depending whether you want a sweeter, stronger drink or a lighter one, you can use more or less of the mixture.
Most brands are quite similar and all good (and there are a lot of them. In my H mart, one end of an aisle is reserved for all the brands of this stuff). I do notice that some retain a bit of the bitter edge from the peel while others are all sweetness, but its not an unpleasant thing.
fuuchan at 11:39AM on 03/18/09
wow. ive been drinking yujacha my entire life. especially when i get sick! i had no idea all the other great uses for it. i'm gonna buy TWO jars next time. one for drinking tea and the second for all the other goodies i can make with it. thanks for highlighting yujacha.
foodisluv at 1:21PM on 03/18/09