Maesil-cheong, The Most Special Ingredient for Korean Food

Maesil-Cheong (매실청) or Ume Plum Syrup is a Korean ingredient that was used in the past to make plum tea. However, in modern times it has been rediscovered and is a staple in Korean cuisine and used as a replacement for sugar. I didn’t know about maesil-cheong until recently because mom never used it. Mom said all the good Korean fruits grew in the far south but her mountainous hometown was only good for growing rice and sweet potato or goguma. Mom grew up poor so her family couldn’t afford these lavish ingredients.

I picked up a bottle of maesil-cheong at a Korean grocery store out of curiosity and fell in love with the way it brings out fruity Spring time notes in my dishes. It has been really really cold in the Bay Area this Winter, which can be depressing to me, but I have found that infusing dishes with ume helps to bring my mood back up by reminding me that Spring in coming soon. I find it funny that while everyone is in holiday mode full-swing, I am craving for all the fruits of Spring/Summer!

What Maesil-Cheong is Used for:

• Bulgogi marinade, Kalbi marinade, Teriyaki marinade, Spicy pork marinade
• Korean salad side dish for bbq
• Sweet soy dipping sauce for Kbbq
• Used in place of sugar for various stir-fried banchan dishes like stir-fried fish cake (Odeng bokkeum 오뎅볶음), stir-fried anchovies, braised lotus roots, mayak eggs
• Added to gochujang to make a sauce for bibimbap and bibim-myun
• Make kimchi 1000% more delicious and fresh tasting
• Refreshing mixed drink: 1 shot vodka, 1 shot maesil-cheong, ice cubes, and top with sparkling water, make the drink virgin by leaving out alcohol. My kids love this drink in the summer, sweet and tangy!
• My newest creation: stir-fried edamame with garlic, maesil-cheong, soy sauce, sake, and jalapeno. Great beer snack!

I go through at least 3 bottles of maesil-cheong a year cooking for a Korean food loving family of 4!

These are my favorite brands of commercially made ume syrup. I love the one on the left since it’s organic and made in California but inflation has made is super expensive ($28/bottle).

Why make your own syrup when you can buy it? Because when I finally opened a jar of my home made syrup, the immediate floral smell with cherry notes was very intoxicating. Whereas, the store-bought syrup smelled, older? I presume the store syrups have more sugar-to-ume ratio.

What’s an Ume?

Ume (梅) is the Japanese word for green Asian plum (Prunus mume) but it is actually an apricot. It is native to China and Korea where it is held in high regard because it’s beautiful magenta flowers bloom in the dead on winter (Jan/Feb). It has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for hundreds of years. The most common believed health benefits are that it aids in digestion, cure fatigue, and poor appetite. In Taiwan, I was given chilled smoked ume tea or suan mei tang (酸梅汤) to cool down my body’s inner temperature after a spicy mala hot pot meal.

During the spring, the ume fruits are ready and in Silicon Valley I see the Korean and Japanese supermarkets start to sell ume in early-May. They only sell it for two weeks during this time so I get my hands on at least 4 pounds to make maesil-cheong and ume plum wine. They are expensive and usually $9/pound so it’s best if you can pick out your own fruits since damaged fruits need to be thrown out. I love that the Japanese market will have a big display of fresh ume fruits and all the tools/ingredients to make ume syrup and wine.

Ume Precautions

Don’t eat the ume “raw” because the skin contains a small amount of chemical compound called amygdalin which is cynaogenic. Although, you would need to eat like 30 lbs of ume to die from it you’ll get a stomach ache eating raw ume. The magic is letting the ume ferment in sugar or alcohol. The fruits release it’s beautiful flavor into the concoction. As a general rule, don’t eat the seeds of any of the stone fruits since they contain a higher level of amygdalin.

I love Ume so much!

I love the taste of ume so much that I found a nursery that sells ume trees! I planted one in my backyard in 2020.

I bought the tree at Yamagami’s Nursery in Cupertino for ~$80. It seems expensive for a tree but with the price of ume fruits, it will pay itself off fast. The trunk has doubled and now there’s a ton of branches. I can’t wait to see the flowers bloom in February. It hasn’t produced any fruits yets but I’m hoping that 2023 will be my lucky year!

Growing and giving away fruits to family and friends has been rewarding since produce prices have skyrocketed with inflation.

How to Prepare Maesil-Cheong/Ume Syrup

Maesil-cheong is super easy to prepare and only 2 ingredients! All you need is a couple of pounds of ume and a bag of Japanese rock sugar or granulated sugar. Koreans seem to prefer the latter but I lused the rock sugar out of curiosity. I will use granulated sugar next time since it’s less processed and to see if it makes a difference in taste/texture.

The Japanese rock sugar I used is called “Crystal Kori Sato” and there’s a recipe on the back of the bag for making plum wine or umeshu/maeshil-ju. This bag costed $10. If you don’t finish it, you could use the rock sugar in a variety of Asian soups/broths.

• Discard any damaged fruits. Since the seed is toxic you don’t want it having contact with your sugar.
• Wash fruits in water and baking soda. Dry with kitchen towel and let air dry completely.
• Using a skewer or paring knife, remove the calyx at the top of the fruit.
• Prepare a large pickling jar by sanitizing it in boiling water for 10 minutes. This is optional, but you can further sanitize your jar by wiping it down with a clear hard liquor like vodka. I had some lying around so I didn’t skip this step. I rinsed the mason jar lids with the hot water I used to boil the jars.
• Layer the bottom of the jar with rock sugar. Layer with fresh ume. Keep layering till the jar is full but make sure the top is covered with sugar. You want the sugar to completely immerse the ume since this is what prevents mold from growing.
• Close the lid tightly and place in a dark spot cool spot like a kitchen cabinet/pantry.

Over time, the rock sugar will completely dissolve leaving you with ume infused syrup. Everyday for 1 week, I will tip my jar upside down to make sure the sugar liquid is touching all the fruits, and it helps the sugar dissolve faster. The sugar helps prevent mold from growing. I was super upset because I made a large batch in a very big jar but since the jar of lid didn’t close that tight, that batch had to be tossed out.

When researching about maesil-cheong, some people were asking if a batch can be saved if it grows white mold but unfortunately the answer is no. It seems like a waste because ume is expensive but it’s better not to risk you or your family’s health.

If you can’t get fresh ume where you live there are companies that will send you a kit with all the tools need to make maesil-cheong. But there’s no shame in buying a bottle at the Korean supermarket or online.

Let maesil-cheong ferment for 3 months or 1 year!

After 3 months of fermenting, the fruits will be slightly shriveled and need to be removed from the liquid to prevent the amygdalin from penetrating the syrup.

I forgot to take the fruits out at the 3 months mark so now I can’t enjoy my maesil-cheong until after 1 year. After 1 year, the poison becomes neutralized. Most the commercially made maesil-cheongs are fermented 1-3 years since it yields a more concentrated flavor and darker color.

I can’t wait to give an update in the Spring about my 1-year fermented maesil-cheong. It will also be time to make new batches and share another ume adventure. I hope everyone that makes Korean food at home can try maesil-cheong!