Baesuk is a Korean pear dessert that can be either poached or steamed. It’s also a popular natural cough remedy!
A few weeks ago, I was sick for a week. I had a deep chesty cough that I couldn’t shake off easily.
My husband asked me to consider some natural cough remedies and I thought of Baesuk immediately.
What is Baesuk
Baesuk (배숙, 梨熟) – poached pear or steamed pear is known in Korea to relieve cough or cold related symptoms.
When I was a child, my late grandma used to hand out a bottle of Korean pear essence to me. She called this special drink, Baemul (배물, pear water).
The colour of the drink was as dark as espresso coffee, but it had a very sticky consistency like honey, and it had a bit of a bitter sweet taste.
To this date, I have no idea how she made this pear essence, and I couldn’t find any recipes that resembles her Baemul formula on the internet yet.
(I presume that the pear would have been boiled or steamed at a very high temperature then blended and strained. It’s also probably mixed with other herbs, fruit or vegetables that are good for relieving coughs / colds as well.)
But instead, I found a few different variations of Korean pear cough remedies that can also be served as a dessert. And, one of them was handed down at the Korean royal court. I’m definitely intrigued!
So, today, I have two different Baesuk recipes for you. They both are popular and use similar ingredients, but the cooking techniques are quite different. – One is poached and the other one is steamed. Accordingly, they taste different as well.
My family’s preference is honey poached pear over steamed pear and we like having it cold as a dessert. I can’t vouch for its effectiveness as a cough remedy since I wasn’t sick anymore when I tried this recipe. ๐
Anyway, hope you give these recipes a try soon and let us know which one you liked more! Enjoy!
Korean Pear Dessert – Part I
Ingredients for Baesuk (Honey Poached Pears, 향설고) – Korean Royal Court Cuisine Style, 3 to 4 Servings
- 1 Korean pear (490g / 1 pound), peeled
- 3 cups water
- 15g / 0.5 ounces ginger, peeled, thinly sliced
- 2 Tbsp sugar or honey
- (Optional) 24 black peppercorns
- (Optional) some pine nuts to garnish
*1 Tbsp = 15 ml, 1 cup = 250 ml
**Recipe adapted from Korean rice cakes, traditional sweets and cookies, and drinks [한국의 떡 한과 음청류, 제 5판]
How to Make Baesuk (Honey Poached Pears)
1. Put the sliced ginger into a pot and add the water. Boil over medium high heat until rolling boiling (7 to 8 mins).
2. (At the same time as step 1) Cut the pears into wedge shapes (about 8 pieces). Push through the black peppercorns on the back of the pears (typically 3 peppercorns per slice). You may want to use a chopstick or an equivalent tool to push them deep, so that they don’t fall out. Though, if you don’t like this additional peppercorn flavour, it can be omitted.
3. Discard the ginger from step 1. Add the sliced pears and sugar / honey into the pot. Boil them over low heat for about 10 mins.
4. Remove the pot from the heat and cool down. Chill in the fridge for a few hours. Garnish the drink with some pine nuts before serving. Serve cold or warm.
Note
While it is common to serve the drink with poached pear slices, it’s usually only for decoration. Typically, only the drink is consumed. (You will notice that the pear won’t have much of its sweet flavour left after being poached!)
Korean Pear Dessert – Part II
Ingredients for Baesuk (Korean Steamed Pears, 배꿀찜), 3 to 4 Servings
- 1 Korean pear (490g / 1 pound), rinsed
- 5g / 0.2 ounces ginger (more can be added per your liking), peeled, thinly sliced
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 1 dried jujube, pitted, thinly sliced
- (Optional) some pine nuts
- Some water (enough to simmer for 1 hour in a steamer pot)
*1 Tbsp = 15 ml, 1 cup = 250 ml
**Recipe adapted from Cookand Magazine
How to Make Baesuk (Korean Steamed Pears)
1. Boil the water in a steamer pot.
2. (At the same time as step 1) Make a pear bowl and lid by slicing the top 1/5 of the pear to use it as a lid. Using a melon baller (or a small tea spoon), dig out the seeds (to discard) and flesh of the pear (to keep). Make sure you don’t dig out too much of the pear as it can collapse during steaming.
3. Fill the pear bowl with the sliced ginger, flesh of the pear, honey, jujube, and pine nuts. Close with the pear lid. Put the pear into a deep bowl to catch any liquid overflow during steaming.
4. Place the pear into the steamer and cook it on low heat for about 1 hour. Serve warm. (Can be served cold as a dessert. It tastes more like a medicine when served warm.)
Baesuk (Honey Poached Pears) - Korean Royal Court Cuisine Style
Ingredients
- 1 Korean pear (490 g / 1 pound), peeled
- 3 cups water
- 15 g ginger (0.5 ounces), peeled, thinly sliced
- 2 Tbsp sugar or honey
- 24 black peppercorns (optional)
- Some pine nuts (optional) to garnish
Instructions
- Put the sliced ginger into a pot and add the water. Boil over medium high heat until rolling boiling (7 to 8 mins).
- (At the same time as step 1) Cut the pears into wedge shapes (about 8 pieces). Push through the black peppercorns on the back of the pears (typically 3 peppercorns per slice). You may want to use a chopstick or an equivalent tool to push them deep, so that they don’t fall out. Though, if you don’t like this additional peppercorn flavour, it can be omitted.
- Discard the ginger from step 1. Add the sliced pears and sugar / honey into the pot. Boil them over low heat for about 10 mins.
- Remove the pot from the heat and cool down. Chill in the fridge for a few hours. Garnish the drink with some pine nuts before serving. Serve cold or warm.
Notes
Nutrition Info (per serving)
The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Baesuk (Korean Steamed Pears)
Ingredients
- 1 Korean pear (490g / 1 pound), rinsed
- 5 g ginger (0.2 ounces), (more can be added per your liking), peeled, thinly sliced
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 1 dried jujube ,pitted, thinly sliced
- Some pine nuts (optional)
- Some water (enough to simmer for 1 hour in a steamer pot)
Instructions
- Boil the water in a steamer pot.
- (At the same time as step 1) Make a pear bowl and lid by slicing the top 1/5 of the pear to use it as a lid. Using a melon baller (or a small tea spoon), dig out the seeds (to discard) and flesh of the pear (to keep). Make sure you don’t dig out too much of the pear as it can collapse during steaming.
- Fill the pear bowl with the sliced ginger, flesh of the pear, honey, jujube, and pine nuts. Close with the pear lid. Put the pear into a deep bowl to catch any liquid overflow during steaming.
- Place the pear into the steamer and cook it on low heat for about 1 hour. Serve hot. (Can be served cold as a dessert. It tastes more like a medicine when served warm.)
Notes
Nutrition Info (per serving)
The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
