It gets freaking hot in Sacramento during the summer. Like, inferno hot. A refreshing iced drink is an absolute must to cool down, and one of my favorites is Nước Hột É Đười Ươi.
Nuoc Hot E Duoi Uoi is a traditional Vietnamese cooling herbal drink. It’s not as intensely flavored and earthy as Vietnamese Nước Sâm; instead, it is much lighter, though you do have to get used to the unique textures of its two main herbal ingredients.
Herbal Ingredients
If you grew up with these traditional herbal drinks, you already know about the fun, contrasting textures of the mix-ins:
- Basil Seeds (Hột É): They look and behave very similarly to chia seeds, but they aren’t the same. When these tiny seeds bloom in water, they swell up into little gelatinous orbs or, as I like to call them, fish eyeballs.
- Malva Nuts (Đười Ươi): The transformation of dried malva nuts is pretty cool to see. When rehydrated, the outer tough layer breaks away and the inner strands separate, resembling super delicate sea algae or seaweed.
You can find both of these dried herbal ingredients, along with many more used in authentic Vietnamese iced tea drinks, at Asian grocery stores.
Look for them in the dried spice or tea aisle, usually sold in small clear plastic bags.
Vietnamese Basil Seed and Malva Nut Drink (Nước Hột É Đười Ươi)
- Total Time: 18 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings, 2 quarts 1x
Description
Make a ready-to-go pitcher of Nuoc Hot E Duoi Uoi. This traditional Vietnamese herbal drink is lightly sweetened and filled with the fun, contrasting textures of blooming basil seeds and rehydrated malva nuts.
Ingredients
- 10 cups water (8 cups for tea and 2 cups will be used for soaking)
- 8 dried malva nuts
- 2 tablespoons dried basil seeds
- 135g rock sugar
Instructions
- Boil water: Bring a medium pot of water (10 cups) to a boil. Once it comes to a rolling boil, turn off the heat.
- Hydrate the malva nuts: Measure out 2 cups of the hot, boiled water, pour it over the dried malva nuts, and set them aside to bloom for 10 minutes. Once they are fully expanded and cool enough to handle, use clean hands to remove and discard the tough outer shells and inner seeds. (Alternatively, you can soak the malva nuts in 2 cups of room-temperature water, but this will require a longer wait time.)
- Add the mix-ins: There is no need to pre-hydrate your basil seeds in a separate bowl; simply toss the dry seeds directly into the remaining hot water in the pot for instant rehydration. Stir in your prepared malva nut strands as well.
- Sweeten: Stir in the rock sugar a little bit at a time. Because rock sugar takes longer to dissolve, give it some time to melt completely before tasting to check your sweetness level. The amount listed in the recipe is what I consider the minimum, but feel free to add more if you prefer it sweeter. Transfer the mixture to a pitcher and chill it in the fridge.
- Serve: Fill a cup with ice. Give the mixture a good stir to evenly distribute the ingredients, then pour it into your cup and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Category: Drinks
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian, Vietnamese
