Description
A refreshing Vietnamese iced dessert drink made with red jujubes, seaweed, longans, lotus seeds, and pearl barley. Scoop the ingredients into a glass and top with ice for a perfect summer treat.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 5 oz dried lotus seeds (Hat Sen)
- 5 oz dried pearl barley (Bo Bo)
- 2 cups thinly sliced dried seaweed/kelp (Rong Bien)
- 5 oz dried longans (Nhan Nhuc)
- 2 cups dried red jujubes/dates (Tao Do)
- 14 cups water (divided)
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, palm sugar or rock sugar
Instructions
- Prepare the dried ingredients: Hydrate the lotus seeds and pearl barley in separate bowls for about 4 hours. Hydrate the seaweed/kelp, dried longan, and jujubes/dates in separate bowls for about one hour. For the dried longan, we will save the liquid so make sure to use at least 4 cups of water. Once the dried ingredients are hydrated, strain, rinse, and drain dry.
- Boil seaweed and pearl barley: Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and blanch the seaweed/kelp for 3-5 minutes. Remove the seaweed/kelp with a strainer. Add the pearl barley to the pot and cook until softened. Remove and set aside. Discard all the used boiled liquid from the pot.
- Boil water and add lotus seeds: Add 10 cups of fresh water to the pot along with the 4 cups of presoaking liquid from the dried longans. Bring the pot to a boil, then cook the lotus seeds on a low simmer until softened, about 20 minutes.
- Combine: Add the jujubes/dates to the pot with the lotus seeds and cook for 5 minutes. Then return all other cooked ingredients (pearl barley and seaweed/kelp) and the presoaked longans.
- Sweeten and storage: Add sugar, a bit at a time, to your liking. Store the drink in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, scoop the mixture into tall glasses. Top with crushed ice and enjoy.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes, 4 hours
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert, drink
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian, Vietnamese