Korean-Inspired Quince Tea (MoGua)

Korean-Inspired Quince Tea (MoGua)

Korean-Inspired Quince Tea (MoGua)

I am so excited about this Korean-inspired Quince Tea (MoGua) recipe – you cannot even believe it!! We have a beautiful Quince tree in our garden. It gives us shade in the summer and produces about 100 KG of fruit annually. Every year we give it a little prayer when the fruit starts to ripe because it kind of has a split in the middle and the fruits are heavy. I mean bringing down the tree to its knees (ok in this case – the branches to the floor) heavy.

And then, at the end of October, for one weekend, we turn our kitchen into a place of madness. We diligently save up old glasses and try to preserve the quinces in all shapes and forms. It is a weekend where the kitchen looks crazy and heck I look probably just as crazy. You see filled glasses starting to pile up everywhere. At the end of this madness, my husband and I look at each other and wonder why do we do this every year (albeit I think we both secretly enjoy it).

What I had not found yet though, is a beautiful, inspired, “special” quince recipe to share with you. And this is where my wonderful friend scooped in and said: “You are doing quinces? I have an awesome recipe”. Turns out, quinces are popular throughout Turkey and Southeast Asia. Quinces are actually an ancient fruit, which is originally from there (and still highly popular). So, I asked her whether I could share the recipe with you and she kindly agreed. Meet: The Korean-inspired Quince Tea (MoGua).

What are Quinces?

Quinces are a type of fruit, looking similar to apples or pears when you see them hanging on a tree. In fact, they come in two types: Quince apples and quince pears (no joke!). They ripen relatively late in the year, normally towards the end of October. When ripe, they turn yellow and the fuzz that surrounds the fruit easily comes off (you may be able to see the fuzz in the pictures). Unfortunately, quinces are also a bit of a “devious” fruit. If you are near ripe quinces, they smell so utterly delicious. The aroma evaporates in all directions and it smells like heavily fruit perfume. I took some to my friend in my car and the entire car smelled utterly delicious. However, if you want to take a bite of them – I would advise against it. Quinces are rock solid, hard fruits that taste quite bitter before cooking. They really only become edible once you start turning them into some form of preserve.

Why is this Korean-Inspired Quince Tea (MoGua) good for you?

Koreans often use this tea when they feel that their throat is a bit scratchy and I have to say I am not surprised. The Vitamin C from both the quinces and lemons, paired with anti-inflammatory ginger, and anti-microbial, as well as anti-bacterial honey represents a true powerhouse in terms of immunity. But honestly, it is also super delicious. In fact, I am sipping on some right now whilst writing this.

There is a sincerely limited list of ingredients this week (quinces, lemons, ginger, and honey). We covered the benefits of ginger in last week’s Chewy Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Cookies. And I possibly talk about lemons every other week. So I thought I would talk a bit more about honey and all of its amazing health benefits!

Honey

First of all, honey is the only product on this planet that does not have an expiry date attached to it. That, in itself, I already find super cool! Honey is well documented in some of the oldest medicinal literature. It has antimicrobial properties (= it stops microorganisms to grow) and also promotes wound healing. Indeed, you heard (or read) right. If you are cutting yourself whipping up something in the kitchen, put some honey on it. The honey will create an antibacterial barrier, maintains a moist wound for healing, and creates a protective barrier against potential infections.

But honey’s antibacterial properties can reach even further! Natural honey that has not been heated can help combat pathogenic bacteria, as well as oral and some digestive bacteria. Honey is also super-rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants help your body to combat free radicals and essentially protect you from diseases. Honey’s medicinal properties have become so popular that an alternative medicine branch has developed called “Apitherapy”. This branch does treatments based on honey (I mean— we are talking about honey) and other bee pollen products that are meant to treat a range of diseases.

How can I adjust this Korean-Inspired Quince Tea (MoGua) to my dietary requirements?

This recipe is vegetarian, gluten-free, nut-free, and paleo-friendly. As honey is made by bees, this recipe is, sadly, not vegan.

There are no progress pictures this week. Truthfully, the kitchen looked a mess and whereas I did try to take some, I forgot to turn off the lights (it was a gloomy day), which turned the pictures slightly yellowish (food photography needs to be conducted in natural light settings). However, you should see from the close-ups, how finely everything has been cut before it literally is pushed into the glass. I hope you fall in love with this tea as much as I did!! Thank you again to my dear friend who kindly provided us the recipe. Please let me know how you get on, either in the comments below or over Instagram. I cannot wait to hear what you think.

This post was last modified on December 10, 2024 11:59 am