Sujeonggwa / 수정과: Korean Persimmon Punch
I enjoyed this beverage so much when I lived in South Korea. It was served to me several times at the end of a meal in lieu of a dessert and I found it to be warming and nourishing. A thoughtful and light way to end a meal that was often composed of sour, pungent kimchi and spicy side dishes. In Korea they used dried Hachiya persimmons known as hongshi. This year I had an absolute glut of Fuyu persimmons but my hongshi stash was nearly gone and it would be at least a month before I could get more. A swap was made and the results were wonderful.
Another change was that I decided to simmer the dried Fuyu persimmons with the spices, which you wouldn’t do with hongshi unless you don’t mind a cloudy beverage. Typically this punch is quite sweet but I will leave it up to you to determine the amount of sugar added.
INGREDIENTS
1 oz (28g) or a knob of fresh ginger, sliced
3 cinnamon sticks
¼ c dried persimmon + 4 extra for garnish
6 c (1.4l) water
Sugar to taste, optional
12 pine nuts for garnish.
DIRECTIONS
Place all ingredients except persimmons for garnish and pine nuts in a medium saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Strain into 4 mugs and garnish with a slice of persimmon and 3 pine nuts. Serve immediately.
Serves 4