Learn how you can use Korean plum extract in Korean cooking!
During the early days of My Korean Kitchen, I used Korean plum extract in some of my Korean cooking. These recipes are:-
- Flying fish roe rice (Al Bap) – used in sauce
- Korean plum tea– used as syrup
- Pressure cooker pork ribs – used in marinade
- Korean teriyaki chicken – used in marinade
Back then adding Korean plum extract was a very popular thing to do. (I think it still is. By the way, this is not a Korean traditional ingredient.) It seems that it was/is needed in pretty much any Korean dishes you can think of.
But practically speaking from your (as a reader and follower of my recipes) point of view, adding this Korean plum extract into my recipe makes my recipe not very practical. For one thing, it is not a very accessible ingredient, even to myself. So I stopped using it in my recipes when I moved to Australia.
Every now then though I still get asked about this Korean plum extract. People ask me why I’m not using it when every other Korean (in Korea) use it. Well, as I mentioned earlier, it’s not something you can get it easily from a Korean grocery store outside of Korea and I want my recipes to be practical and approachable.
That being said, it is always good to know how this Korean plum extract can be made or how else it could be used, for your future reference, right? You never know, this extract could one day dominate the aisles of the Korean grocery store. 😉
What is Korean Plum Extract
Korean plum extract (Maesil Wonaek, 매실원액) is made with Korean green plums (also known as Japanese apricot) by marinating them with honey or sugar for a few months. Korean green plums look like as below.
(Photo credit – http://www.maesil.co.kr)
While there are a number of Korean plum extract brands available, the most famous (and my favourite) one is HongSsangRi Cheong Maesil Plum Farm 홍쌍리 청매실농원 (a photo at the top of the post).
If you would like to know more about this brand, watch this video clip. I actually have been to this plum farm once before when I was still living in Korea. I lived in a neighbourhood maybe 20-30 mins driving distance from the farm.
Where to Get Korean Plum Extract
Anyway, in Korea, this plum extract can be purchased at most major supermarkets (e.g. E-mart, Homeplus or Hanaro Mart) or many online stores.
As an indicative guideline, the Korean recommended retail price of a 600ml bottle of this plum extract is 20,000 won (US $18). If you’re outside of Korea, the only place I know sell this bottle is the US Amazon store, so if you know other places that sell this product, please share it in the comment section.
If you’re lucky enough to get some fresh Korean green plums where you live, you can make it yourself as well. I don’t have the recipe yet, but I’m hoping to share it in the near future.
How to Use Korean Plum Extract
Typically Koreans use this plum extract in a sauce, dipping sauce or marinade sauce. It has a sweet and mildly tangy taste, so when people add this plum extract in a recipe, they reduce the vinegar and/or sugar. Some people also use it when they make soju cocktail.
Plum extract is particularly popular in a meat marinade as it is known to get rid of meat smells and oily taste and also softens the meat.
Another popular way to enjoy this plum extract is drinking it as a tea (hot or cold) by diluting it with some water. This tea is called Maesil Cha (매실차) and it is one of my favourite Korean tea. I hope you get to try this recipe as well!
H-Mart in Richmond, BC, Canada has 4 different brands and includes the one you showed.
༅( ᵒ̴̶̩̩̥᷄ ̰̍ ᵒ̴̶̩̩̥᷅ )༅ The link to the recipe for plum extract does not work > http://www.theeast.org/discover-korean-food-165-dr-sook-ja-yoons-maesil-cha/
Do you know another site that has this recipe?
Thanks!
I had no idea that the site had shut down. I will look around and update the post when I find a good one. Also, I think I can have my recipe ready by next year as I found the source of plum here. Fingers crossed! 🙂
Found this ingredient in Happy Mart, an online grocery shop servicing Melbourne metro and was curious if I can use it for drinking instead of cooking and you answered it, thank you!
Can you use the spent maesil plums to make vinegar? If so, which vinegar should I use and how long should I steep the maesil for? Also after straining the vinegar do I need to refrigerate it?
Thanks a bunch!
Hi Sue,
I am using Ocoo double boiler, which is by steaming and extracting the green plums, it is very potent. I was told to mix a teaspoon to a 1/2 gallon of water to drink for heatlh benefits. Do you know any other way to utilize steamed, extracted, potent maesil?
my mom feed this to me whenever I got a stomach ache and so I always thought that it was a type of juice
I found this recently at my local Asian market.
Ooh where are you located and which market?
I only have plum sauce not extract. Is it the same?
Just wondering what is different about Korean plums and any variety of plum in a green stage 🤷♀️ do they Not get to a ripe stage or they are litterally green when ripe 🤔 … and what would be used to replace it in a recipe since it is sweet and tangy, I would try sugar and apple cider vinegar… but id prob be way off. 😆 🤣
I also subbed your newsletter and do you have YouTube channel ??
Thanks ✌😊🤳
What is it taste like? Most kimchi recipe from YouTube use this plum extract, can I skip this ingredient. I never heard kimchi using plum extract while I was in Korea which is over 50 years ago.
I’d like to read your recipes. Thank you.
You don’t have to use this in your kimchi. You may have to add more fruit and/or sugar to compensate sweetness if you were using the recipe that required it. 🙂