Chaozhou Preserved Fruit (Teochew Liangguo)
A traditional Teochew preserved fruit snack, salted and sugared fresh fruits yielding a sweet-tangy flavor that awakens the palate, perfect as a teatime treat.
Ingredients
5 items- Green plums (or apricots) 500 g
- Coarse salt 20 g
- Licorice slices 3 g
- Rock sugar 100 g
- Water 200 ml
Nutrition
Steps （6 steps）
Rinse green plums under cold water and pat dry. Score a cross on each plum down to the pit to allow flavors to penetrate.
Add coarse salt, rub plums for about 1 minute to coat evenly. Cover with plastic wrap and rest at room temperature for 2 hours until plums soften and surface shrivels.
Discard the bitter liquid, rinse plums thoroughly with cooled boiled water to remove excess salt. Drain well.
In a pot, combine 200 ml water, licorice slices and rock sugar. Bring to a boil then simmer for 15 minutes until the syrup thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon.
Add the prepared plums to the syrup, cook over medium heat for 3 minutes until plums soften and are coated. Remove plums, continue simmering the syrup until concentrated.
Transfer plums to a sterilized glass jar, pour the reduced syrup over to submerge. Seal and refrigerate for at least 2 hours for flavors to meld. Sprinkle with galangal powder if desired.
Tips
Choose underripe green plums for a crunchier texture; a longer overnight pickling yields richer flavor; avoid high heat when reducing syrup to prevent burning.
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