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Lemon barley drink
This lemon barley drink (柠檬薏米水) is an easy and refreshing drink that is perfect for the hot tropical summer days. The barley drink tastes good on its own, but for added vitamin C & colour, add a few drops of lemon juice and a slice of lemon. Winter melon sugar complement the taste of barley more than rock sugar in my opinion, but it is not as sweet, so you can add a small amount of rock sugar, to taste, to sweeten up at the end if you like. This cooling tea is mild enough to drink daily. For step-by-step photos for making barley drink, check out this detailed tutorial here.
Lemon barley drink
This is an easy, healthy and cooling Chinese herbal drink which is great for combating the tropical heat.
Ingredients:
- 150g holland barley (洋薏米) washed & drained; see cooking note below
- 100g candied winter melon sugar (冬瓜糖) see cooking note
- 4 pandan leaves tied to a knot; optional
- 2 litre water top up whenever needed during simmering
- lemon juice and lemon slices
Directions:
- Make the drink. In a large soup pot, add all the ingredients. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and keep a small vent opening. Simmer for 45-60 minutes or until the barley pearls are soft and the water partly cloudy & milky white. Top up more water whenever needed during simmering. If the drink is not sweet enough, you can add more candied winter melon during the last 10 minutes, or stir in a small amount of rock sugar while the drink is still hot.
- Add lemon juice, a few drops at a time and garnish with a slice of lemon. Serve warm or chilled.
Noob Cook Tips
- Check out this detailed recipe for the different types of barley & sweetener plus step-by-step photos.
- A little lemon juice goes a long way. Add a few drops, to taste, at a time.
- If using Chinese barley, simmer for an additional 30-60 minutes until the pearls are softened to liking. Alternatively, pre-soak the barley in a bowl of hot water for 1-2 hours, or keep the barley warm in a thermal pot for another 2 hours.
- If using rock sugar, add about70g during the last 5 minutes of cooking. You can also use a mixture of winter melon sugar (added in the beginning) and rock sugar (stirred in after the drink is made).
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