Yuja Tea (Korean Citron Tea)

Before you start

Yuja-cha is not brewed from leaves at all. It starts as yuja-cheong, a thick preserve of thinly sliced yuja citron, peel and all, layered with sugar until the fruit releases its juice and turns into a glossy, jammy syrup. A few spoonfuls stirred into hot water make the tea, and the softened peel is eaten from the bottom of the cup. Yuja is the same fruit known in Japan as yuzu: very aromatic, quite sour and seedy, with more peel than flesh.

The core decision is the ratio. Equal weights of fruit and sugar give a preserve that is sweet enough to keep well in the refrigerator and loose enough to spoon. Slice the peel as thinly as you can, since thick strips stay chewy and bitter. Fresh yuja is seasonal and hard to find outside East Asia, so this page also suggests citrus that come close. This is a refrigerator preserve, not a canned one.

Ingredients

• Preserve400 g (about 4 medium) fresh yuja or yuzu — see substitutions if unavailable
• 400 g (2 cups) granulated sugar — divided
• 1 tbsp coarse salt — for scrubbing the fruit
• To serve2 to 3 tbsp (40 to 60 g) yuja preserve — per cup
• 250 ml (1 cup) hot water — about 80 to 85°C (176 to 185°F)
• 1 tsp pine nuts — optional garnish

Method

1. Wash the jar and lid in hot soapy water, rinse well and let them dry completely. Any water left inside dilutes the preserve and shortens its life.
2. Scrub the fruit with the coarse salt and a little water to clean the peel and remove any wax. Rinse and dry the fruit thoroughly with a towel.
3. Cut each fruit in half across the middle. Squeeze the juice into the bowl through a small strainer, then pick out and discard every seed, since they make the preserve bitter.
4. Scrape out and discard most of the thin white membranes from inside the peel, keeping any juicy flesh. Slice the peel into very thin strips, about 1 to 2 mm wide.
5. Add the sliced peel, flesh and 300 g of the sugar to the juice in the bowl. Toss well with a clean spoon until every strip is coated and the sugar starts turning damp.
6. Pack the mixture into the jar, pressing down gently. Pour the remaining 100 g of sugar over the top as a protective layer. Seal the lid and refrigerate.
7. Stir the preserve with a clean, dry spoon once a day for 3 days. It is ready when the sugar has fully dissolved into a glossy syrup and the peel looks translucent.
8. To make a cup, put 2 to 3 tbsp of preserve in a mug, pour over the hot water and stir. Scatter a few pine nuts on top if you like, and eat the peel as you drink.

Tips for success

• Weigh the fruit after removing seeds and membranes, then match it with the same weight of sugar. That keeps the ratio right no matter how seedy your fruit is.
• Water slightly below boiling keeps the citrus aroma bright. Boiling water makes the peel smell cooked.
• Always use a clean, dry spoon. Introducing water or crumbs is the most common reason a jar spoils early.

Substitutions

Yuja

Frozen whole yuzu works well. Otherwise, use a mix of 3 parts Meyer lemon to 1 part mandarin or grapefruit for a similar fragrant, sour balance. Regular lemons make a sharper, less floral preserve.

Granulated sugar

Replace up to half the sugar with honey for a rounder flavor. Do not reduce the total sweetener much, since sugar is what keeps the preserve stable in the fridge.

Store-bought yuja-cheong

Jars of ready-made yuja tea preserve are sold in Korean groceries and give a sweeter, softer result. Use the same amount per cup.

Variations

Iced yuja-ade

Stir 3 tbsp of preserve into 60 ml of hot water to dissolve it, then add ice and top with 150 ml of soda water.

Yuja and ginger

Add 30 g of very thinly sliced fresh ginger to the fruit and sugar for a warming, spicier cup.

Troubleshooting

The preserve tastes very bitter

Seeds or thick white pith were left in, or the peel was cut thickly. Remove every seed and slice the peel as thin as possible next time.

Sugar is still crunchy after several days

The fruit was dry or the jar is very cold. Stir in 1 to 2 tbsp of fresh citrus juice and keep stirring daily.

The jar smells boozy, fizzes or shows mold

It has started to ferment or spoil, usually from water or a dirty spoon. Discard the whole jar.

Storage

Keep the preserve refrigerated in a tightly closed jar and use a clean, dry spoon every time. It is best within 2 months. Discard it if you see mold, notice fizzing or smell alcohol.

Safety notes

Pine nuts are a tree nut. Leave them off for anyone with a tree nut allergy.