Sujeonggwa: Korean Persimmon Punch 수정과

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I enjoyed this beverage when I lived in South Korea several years ago. 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 or a knob of fresh ginger, sliced

• 3 cinnamon sticks
• ¼ c dried persimmon + 4 extra for garnish
• 6 c water
• Sugar to taste, optional 
• 12 pine nuts for garnish. 

Directions

1. 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. 
2. Strain into 4 mugs and garnish with a slice of persimmon and 3 pine nuts. Serve immediately.

Serves 4