Korean Ssanghwa Herbal Tea
Quick answer
- Total time
- 70 min
- Level
- Hard
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Ingredients
- 8
About this dish
Ssanghwa-cha is a traditional Korean tonic tea made by slow-simmering astragalus root, angelica root, cinnamon bark, licorice, and jujube in approximately 1800 ml of water over low heat for more than fifty minutes.
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The prolonged extraction coaxes layered complexity from each herb, producing a brew that is simultaneously bitter, sweet, and warmly aromatic with cinnamon woven through every sip. Jujubes added during the simmer soften the sharpest herbal edges while contributing a mild natural sweetness that rounds the overall profile. Honey is stirred in after straining to let each person adjust the sweetness to taste. The tea is poured hot into a ceramic cup and finished with a small cluster of pine nuts whose oil blooms on contact with the steaming surface, releasing a gentle, nutty fragrance. The deep medicinal warmth lingers in the throat long after each sip, making the drink a reliable remedy for fatigue and cold weather.
Ingredients
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Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Prep
Rinse 20 g astragalus root, 10 g angelica root, 8 g cinnamon stick, and 5 g licorice root under cold running water for only about 10 seconds. Do not soak them, just wash away surface dust.
- 2Control
Put 1800 ml water, the rinsed herbs, and 8 jujubes in a large pot.
Leave the lid off and heat over high heat until the water reaches a strong rolling boil.
- 3Control
As soon as it boils, lower the heat to the weakest setting and simmer for at least 50 minutes.
The liquid should move gently, not boil hard, and gradually turn a deep brown.
- 4Control
Keep the liquid moving gently over low heat.
Turn off the heat when the jujubes soften, the liquid reduces, and the aroma deepens.
- 5Step
Strain the tea through a fine sieve or cloth, keeping only the clear brewed liquid.
While it is still hot, stir in 3 tablespoons honey until no heavy sweetness remains at the bottom.
- 6Finish
Pour the tea into warmed cups and float 1 tablespoon pine nuts on top so their oil meets the hot surface.
Serve immediately, or cool, refrigerate, and reheat before serving later.
Practical Cooking Checks
The cues that matter most while cooking.
- Key technique
- Ssanghwa-cha builds complex herbal bitterness by slow-simmering five medicinal roots for over 50 minutes.
- Finish cue
- Pour the tea into warmed cups and float 1 tablespoon pine nuts on top so their oil meets the hot surface.
- Avoid this
- Do not soak them, just wash away surface dust.
- Storage and reheating
- For tea not served immediately, let the steam subside at room temperature and refrigerate.
Cooking decision evidence
Calculated Charim data and applicable official cooking and food safety guidance.
This recipe
70min, 8 ingredients
Category median
20min, 6 ingredients
Based on 118 recipes
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