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Nước sâm
Cooling herbal drink
Nước sâm: Saigon cooling herbal drink of longan, monk fruit, sugarcane and imperata root
Big glass jars of amber nước sâm sit on pavement stalls all over Hồ Chí Minh City, ladled over ice for anyone who has eaten too much fried food or spent too long in the sun. The brew is gently sweet and earthy, with honeyed dried longan, the liquorice note of monk fruit and fresh sugarcane, and Chinese-Vietnamese herbalists sell ready-mixed bags of the dried roots. Make a big pot: it keeps for four days in the fridge. Chef's tip: simmer, never boil hard; a rolling boil pulls bitterness out of the roots and turns the drink cloudy.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
- 1 dried monk fruit (la hán quả)cracked open
- 1 ⅜ oz dried longan flesh
- 10 ½ oz fresh sugarcanepeeled and split into sticks; or skip and add 60 g more sugar
- 1 handful corn silk (optional)from 2 cobs
- 4 pandan leavesknotted
- 3 litres water
- 4 oz rock sugaror to taste
- 1 large bowl ice
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Rinse 1 ⅜ oz dried imperata root (rễ tranh), 1 dried monk fruit (la hán quả) and 1 ⅜ oz dried longan flesh in warm water to wash off any dust.
3 minStep 2: Put them in a large pot with 10 ½ oz fresh sugarcane, 1 handful corn silk, 4 pandan leaves and 3 litres water and bring slowly to a simmer over a medium heat.
12 minStep 3: Turn the heat to low and simmer gently, lid ajar, until the liquid is clear amber and smells of caramel and longan.
35 minStep 4: Stir in 4 oz rock sugar until dissolved, then taste: it should be lightly sweet, not syrupy.
2 minStep 5: Strain through a fine sieve, cool and refrigerate. Serve over 1 large bowl ice.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 55 kcal
- Protein
- 0 g
- Carbs
- 14 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
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Good to know
- How long does nước sâm take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 50 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of rock sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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