Maesil Cheong (Green Plum Syrup)
User Reviews
4.8
18 reviews
Excellent
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Prep Time
15 mins
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Total Time
15 mins
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Course
Condiments
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Cuisine
Korean
Maesil Cheong (Green Plum Syrup)
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Korean Maesil Chung is a fermented syrup made from Green Apricot Plums and sugar. It adds great flavor to marinades, salads and just about any Korean dish that needs sweetness. Fresh green plums (aka Japanese green plums) are available only for a short time in the spring so don't miss it!
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Ingredients
- 2 lbs Green Plums
- 2 lbs sugar (white or organic unbleached)~ 2.4 lbs sugar
- 1 glass jar or breathable earthen ware (항아리 Haangari) large enough to hold both sugar and plums
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Instructions
- Wash plums and drain. Let plums completely dry.
- Remove any stems including the little stub near the stem. Removing the stub is not a must but if you don’t, stubs will later float around in the syrup and you will have to strain it to get rid of it.
- Discard any plums that are rotten because these can spoil the syrup.
- Sanitize the glass jar by rinsing it with boiling water or alcohol.
- Layer sugar and plums alternately in the jar. This means you need to divide the sugar and the plums equally so that you don’t run out of sugar at the end. If you layer the sugar so that it just about covers the layer of plums, it should work out OK.
- Cover the jar and leave it in a cool place for 90 days.
- After 90 days, remove the plums with the seeds and store the syrup for use. Can be stored at room temperature for many months, even a year or more.
Notes
- Don’t hold back on the SUGAR! The key to making good plum syrup is the ratio of plum to sugar. The basic is 1:1 but depending on how big and juicy the plums are, you may want to increase the ratio to 1:2. More sugar increases the success rate since more sugar means less chance for mold to develop or turn sour instead of sweet.
- What sugar to use? Brown vs White vs Organic? This is quite a dilemma…Using white sugar will intensify the plum fragrance in the syrup but we all know it’s not the best thing for your health. I used organic unbleached sugar here. Brown sugar contains molasses like substance in addition to sugar which can diminish the flavor and fragrance of the green plums.
- You need to stir the syrup every 2 days or so (prob. for about 7-10 days) until the sugar is fully dissolved in the plum juice. You should still stir the plum syrup every now and then for the remaining 80 days. Stir if you see the top plums take on a different color or if you see white stuff appearing on top.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.8
18 reviews
Excellent
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