Vietnamese Dried Longan Iced Tea (Chè / Nước Nhãn Nhục)

When it starts to get warmer, this is the kind of refreshment that slaps. Is that what young people say these days?

Thanks to all the benefits from the assorted dried fruit, you can actually feel good about drinking it. It’s basically a healthy dessert!

Nước Nhãn Nhục (also known as Chè Nhãn Nhục) is a classic Vietnamese sweet drink (or sweet soup) starring dried longans over ice.

This drink often appears in Vietnamese restaurants here in the US, and whenever I see it on the menu, I order it. It’s the rule.

Che Nhan Nhuc is incredibly simple to make. If it looks familiar, it’s basically a very simple version of Che Sam Bo Luong.

While dried longans are the star of the show, I’m tossing in a few extra dried fruits from my pantry to give the drink more body and flavor.

You can easily fish out the extra ingredients after boiling and discard them if you just want the broth with just longans, but you can certainly eat them too!

What You Will Need

To make this refreshing Vietnamese logan tea drink, gather these ingredients. I’ve also included the health benefits of each dried fruit, since many are used in traditional Asian wellness practices as “cooling” foods that help balance the body’s internal heat.

• Dried Longans (Nhãn Nhục): One of my favorite fruits. I love it fresh, dried and canned. But here we are using the dried version. You can find them in many Asian grocery stores. According to WebMD, it’s also a great source of vitamin C, potassium, and riboflavin (vitamin B2).
• Jujubes / Red Dates (Táo Đỏ): Also known as the Chinese date. Jujube fruit is high in vitamins, minerals, and fiber. I mainly use this to naturally sweeten my tea, but I don’t like eating it because it’s fibrous and it does have a pit in the middle. Feel free to fish it out after making the tea or leave it as is.
• Goji Berries (Kỷ Tử): Goji berries are sometimes labeled as a “superfood” because they are commonly used in Asian cooking to treat health problems like diabetes and high blood pressure. You often see them in Chinese and Taiwanese hot pot dishes and soups as well.
• Rock Sugar (Đường Phèn): The most typical sweetener for these soupy sweet drinks. Unlike heavily processed white sugar, rock sugar has a clean, mellow sweetness. You can also sub with use palm sugar or brown sugar and even regular granulated cane sugar. Amount may be less so add a little at a time, to taste.
• Aloe Vera (Nha Đam, optional): An add-on that I always have because it grows like crazy in my garden. While many people use aloe vera gel as a home remedy to treat burns and moisturize skin, I love adding the cubes to my drinks. I’m essentially eating my moisturizer! It does need a bit of preparation so it’s not slimy, which I have full instructions for here.
• Pandan Leaves (optional): It’s the vanilla extract of the East. It provides a wonderful aroma. Keep the leaves whole so it doesn’t dye the the drink green and tie them into a knot so they fit easily into the pot. Fish them out and discard when you’re done boiling. If you can’t find fresh pandan (you can also use dried ones), just skip it.
• Water and Salt: We need water to boil everything together and a pinch of salt. Just like when you bake, that little bit of salt balances out the sweetness perfectly.

Tips for Success

• Rinse the dried fruit: Dried longans, jujubes, and goji berries can carry a little dust from the packaging, especially the bulk size packages from Asian supermarkets. If needed, give them a quick rinse under cold water in a strainer before tossing them into the pot.
• Snip the jujubes: Because they are bulky and we aren’t cooking for very long, I like to use scissors or a small paring knife to snip them so the interior is exposed. This helps the sweetness and flavor of the jujubes leach into the drink more quickly.

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