Chinese Prune Compote (Suanmeitang)

Name: Prune Compote: Chinese Sour Plum Drink (Suanmeitang)
Prep time: 2 h
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 2 h 30 min
Cuisine: Chinese cuisine
Ingredients: Dried sour prunes 100 g; Dried tangerine peel 1-2; Hibiscus 2 tbsp; Dried mulberries (optional) 2 tbsp; Hawthorn berries 2 tbsp; Licorice root 1 tsp; Tea rose buds or petals 2-3 tbsp; Dried mint 1-2 sprigs; Osmanthus flowers 1 tsp; White or brown sugar (or powdered sugar) 2 tbsp (to taste); Water 3.5 l

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2 h 30 mins

Traditional Chinese prune compote is a wonderful refreshing drink. Its proper name is 酸梅湯, or Suanmeitang. In essence it is a decoction of dried, slightly smoked sour plums. It is also made with osmanthus flowers and sometimes with hibiscus. We first made the drink from a ready-made set of ingredients, analyzing the contents as we went. As it turned out, everything can be found in any local market or supermarket.

This is an ancient drink with a very pleasant taste. Versions of it appear in documents more than 1000 years old. It is amazing how simple it is to make and how well it quenches thirst even in the fiercest heat. It is also good for digestion, helps cleanse the body and contains plenty of vitamins. We make it from local ingredients, several liters at a time, then chill it. In summer we drink it instead of water.

All the components are dry. You can boil them all together or one after another. Everyone makes prune compote in their own way, and there are many different recipes and recommendations. What matters is that all the ingredients are natural and of high quality. The drink is produced industrially in large volumes, so always read the ingredients before buying. “Useful” chemical additives have no place in it.

The drink is often called sour plum tea. That is not correct, because there is no tea in it. Although some of the ingredients are used in making different kinds of tea, and sweet osmanthus flowers are a well-known flavoring. A decoction made from readily available components will, of course, differ from the original from China. You can always change the mix to suit your taste, so that the refreshing drink pleases you.

Prunes sold at the market come in different kinds. The ones we use for beet salad and cakes are not suitable: they are too sweet and soft. You can also find heavily dried, hard plums with the pit and a sour taste. They are used for uzvar, and those are the ones you need.

Before cooking, the sour dried prunes need to be soaked. You can soak not only the plums but the other components too. In principle, prune compote can be made by different methods. They mostly differ in the order and way the ingredients are boiled. A ready-made set often comes with a cloth bag, the same kind we use for spices when making soup. All the components soak and cook in it at the same time. This is more convenient than adding everything one by one. And in the end the compote doesn’t have to be strained several times to filter out everything unneeded.

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Ingredients

3 l

Dried sour prunes 100 g
Dried tangerine peel 1-2
Hibiscus 2 tbsp
Dried mulberries (optional) 2 tbsp
Hawthorn berries 2 tbsp
Licorice root 1 tsp
Tea rose buds or petals 2-3 tbsp
Dried mint 1-2 sprigs
Osmanthus flowers 1 tsp
White or brown sugar (or powdered sugar) 2 tbsp (to taste)
Water 3.5 l

Step-by-step recipe

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Gathering the components

Of all the ingredients that go into prune compote, osmanthus is probably the most exotic. It is sold in tea shops. It is worth using without fail, as it gives the main aroma and the slightly sweet taste of the drink. Sometimes you can find it in the tea sections of big stores. It is best to buy dried sour plums at the market, where you can taste them. Hibiscus, rose buds or petals, sugar and mint are available in any store. For licorice and hawthorn, go to a pharmacy. Tangerine peel can be replaced with orange or lime peel. Dried mulberries are optional, and they can also be bought at the market or replaced with rose hips.
If you are missing some ingredients, try replacing them with similar ones, close in taste and aroma. By and large, what matters are the sour plums, osmanthus, citrus peel and licorice.
Put all the dry components except the sugar into a cloth bag or sachet. We soak and cook all the components at the same time, and in a bag they don’t “float around” in the drink. Alternatively, you can put everything on a piece of clean cloth and tie it in a knot.

Soaking and cooking

Soak the components. Pour 3.5 l of clean cold water into a pot, put the bag of dry components in it and leave the pot without heat for 1.5-2 hours. This is needed to soak and rehydrate them, especially the dried prunes. Authentic recipes recommend spring water. By the way, hibiscus also infuses very well in cold water, which is how hibiscus drink is often made.
Cook the decoction. Put the pot on the heat, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer over low heat. I cooked it for 20 mins, taking care not to let the liquid boil hard. The cooking time varies greatly from recipe to recipe: it can be short or go up to 1 hour.
During this time the decoction takes on a pleasant color, mostly thanks to the hibiscus. The taste is distinctly sour, which is important, since dried prunes are the main ingredient. The aroma comes from the osmanthus, licorice and mint. The prune compote stays clear.
Add sugar or powdered sugar to taste, if needed. I added 1 tbsp of sugar (14 g) to keep the sour taste of the plums.
Cool and strain. Once the sugar has dissolved, take the pot off the heat and let the drink cool. During this time it keeps infusing with the plums and the other ingredients. When it has cooled, you can throw the bag away. It is best to strain the infusion through a thick cloth. Put the prune compote in the cold.

Serving

It is best to pour the drink into a small pitcher or straight into cups: without refrigeration it quickly turns sour unless preservatives are used. In hot weather, serve the drink with ice cubes.
Petals of various flowers, lotus seeds and green tea are often used as additional components. But the main taste and the noticeable smoky aroma come from the dried prunes.

Calories and macros

10 kcal

100 g

Protein0.1 g3% of kcal
Fat0 g1% of kcal
Carbs2.4 g95% of kcal

Calculated from the recipe ingredients, excluding salt and spices. Data: USDA and Matvaretabellen.

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