Winter melon punch

Winter melon punch, also called winter melon tea in East Asia (Chinese: 冬瓜茶; pinyin: dōngguā chá), is a drink made from winter melon and sugar that has been boiling for some time.[1] It is popular in East Asia, notably Taiwan.[2]

Winter melon punch
Chinese冬瓜茶
Traditional Chinese冬瓜潘趣酒
Simplified Chinese冬瓜潘趣酒
Winter melon punch
A cup of winter melon punch in front of a winter melon at a Taiwanese street vendor's stall.
Alternative namesWinter melon tea
Typesweetened fruit drink
Place of originChina
Region or stateEast Asia
Serving temperatureCold
Main ingredientswinter melon, brown sugar or caramel
Ingredients generally usedlime or calcium hydroxide
Variationslemon juice, oolong tea tapioca balls, nata de coco, or tangyuan
Food energy
(per serving)
17 kcal (71 kJ)

Preparation

Winter melon punch is prepared by firstly peeling, slicing and removing the seeds of a winter melon. The winter melon slices are then placed in boiling water with brown sugar or caramel and stirred for several hours. The mixture is filtered with a gauze or sieve to remove any undissolved sediments, leaving concentrated winter melon juice that can be cooled, stored or refrigerated before drinking. It can be diluted by placing ice.

The concentrated winter melon juice can also be reduced to form "winter melon candy". After the reduced juice is poured into a pan and left to cool, the solid is commonly cut into cubes and sold. The winter melon candy cubes can be cooked in tea to make winter melon punch again.

A sugar-free version of the winter melon punch is made for people with kidney issues and diabetes. In this variation, the cooking process is the same, except that no sugar is used in the process.

Some soak the winter melon slices in lime or calcium hydroxide to preserve the melon's original flavor by hardening the flesh before boiling them with sugar, caramel, and water.

Variations

There are many variations of winter melon punch throughout Taiwan. Lemon juice and oolong tea can be added to winter melon punch to change its taste, and alcohol can be added to make a cocktail. Street vendors also often add tapioca balls, nata de coco, or tangyuan to winter melon punch to sell as a desert.

See also

References
  1. Matson, Tiana (2019-02-03). "Winter Melon Tea - Simple But Juicy". Yum Of China. Retrieved 2020-02-06.
  2. Guides, Rough (2017-09-07). The Rough Guide to Cambodia (Travel Guide eBook). Rough Guides UK. ISBN 978-0-241-32612-1.
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