Lemon Syrup or Cheong
Whole Fruit Lemon Syrup or Cheong is the Korean pantry staple that concentrates the sunshine-y essence of lemons in a simple, honey-like syrup filled with thin slices of lemon that you can use anywhere. From a simple hot tea made with the fruit and syrup and hot water to adding it into cocktails or iced tea, a jar of Cheong is about to be indispensable in your kitchen, too!This version of Cheong retains all the goodness of the original Korean product that is usually made with yuzu replacing the harder to find yuzus with lemons or Meyer lemons.
Equipment
- Food Processor or Chef’s Knife
- cutting board
- Kitchen Scale
- mixing bowl
- 2 quart jars or 1.5 liter jars
Ingredients
- 10 lemons or Meyer lemons
- About 2 pound of sugar or honey see notes
Optional:
- Fresh ginger peeled and thinly sliced
Instructions
- Rinse the lemons in a colander, scrub them with baking soda and/or salt to remove any coating, then rinse them again and pat them dry. Slice a small sliver off of each end of the lemon then slice it in half lengthwise. Pop out as many seeds as you can.
- Use a thin slicing blade on a food processor or a chef’s knife, slice the lemon halves as thinly as possible. Carefully root through and remove any other seeds you find.
- Place a medium sized mixing bowl or large measuring cup on a kitchen scale and turn it on. If necessary, tare the weight to zero. Scrape the lemons into the bowl and make note of the weight.
- Tare the scale again, and add about ¾ of the total weight of the lemons in honey or granulated sugar. Use your scrupulously clean hands or a wooden spoon to mix the lemons and sugar or honey together. Divide the mixture between the jars you have handy, pressing the lemons into the jar firmly to submerge them under the syrup that should already be forming.
- Divide the remaining honey or sugar into the jars over top of the lemons. Cover tightly and leave at room temperature out of direct light for 3 days, stirring them and pressing the lemons back down every so often.
- Store the finished Cheong in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.
To Make Citron Tea:
- Starting with about 2 tablespoons, scoop as much syrup and fruit into your mug as you’d like and top off with very hot or boiling water. If you did not add ginger to your cheong when you made it, you can add a couple coins or strips of fresh ginger to the mug as well.
- Stir and sip. You can eat the fruit if you wish.
Notes
There is not a specific amount of sugar listed in the recipe because you are going to be adding an equal amount to the weight of your sliced lemons. In general, a lemon weighs about 3 ounces, but that can vary based on the individual lemons you’re using.
While I used granulated sugar for this batch of cheong, you can also make it with raw honey, refined honey, or demerara/raw sugar. Your choice will affect the color of the tea.
The granulated sugar yields a more “true colour” clear and yellow lemon cheong, while the honey or demerara sugar will give it a more caramel coloured syrup. Any of the options will be delicious.
If you’re fond of the lemon and ginger combination, feel free to add some raw, peeled, thinly sliced ginger to your lemons before weighing them.
Nutrition
Calories: 190kcalCarbohydrates: 50gProtein: 1gFat: 0.3gSaturated Fat: 0.02gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.05gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.01gSodium: 2mgPotassium: 75mgFiber: 2gSugar: 47gVitamin A: 12IUVitamin C: 29mgCalcium: 14mgIron: 0.3mg
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
did you make this recipe?
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