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    Home » Festive Asian Recipes

    Published: Apr 19, 2022 · Modified: Sep 7, 2022 by Zen · This post may contain affiliate links.

    7 Dried Jujube Fruit Recipes

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    7 easy-to-make but delicious dried jujube fruit recipes (also known as Chinese red date recipes), including soups, drinks and desserts.

    Close-up of red date chicken soup in a black pot.
    Jump to:
    • What are Jujubes?
    • Health Benefits
    • Where to Buy
    • FAQ
    • Other Traditional Chinese recipes
    • Savory soups
    • Drinks
    • Desserts
    • 💬 Comments

    What are Jujubes?

    Jujubes or Chinese red dates, also known as Ziziphus jujuba (scientific name) and hong zao, belong to the Rhamnaceae buckthorn family.

    They are a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) ingredient that is also commonly used in Chinese and Korean cooking, and can be eaten fresh or dried.

    Most Asian families will have a store of dried Chinese red dates in their pantry to cook with, as they can last for quite some time in this form. (As dried jujubes are more common, the recipes here all use them instead of fresh.)

    Note: Jujube is not to be confused with jojoba, which is entirely different!

    Health Benefits

    Jujube fruits have been used in traditional medicine for thousands of years, but more research is still needed. What we do know at the moment is that:

    • Jujubes have "anticancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-hyperlipidemic, anti-hyperglycemic, immunoregulatory, neuroprotective, sedative, and antiviral functions."
    • Jujubes have a lot of anti-oxidants, such as flavonoids. These help to delay or prevent cell damage from free radicals.
    • These antioxidants may even help one sleep better!
    • Thanks to its high fibre content, jujube can aid digestion and constipation.
    • It is rich in Vitamin C, and may thus help your immune system.

    Where to Buy

    In Asia, you can get them at most major supermarkets.

    Outside of Asia, you will need to buy jujubes online, at a Chinese medicine hall or at an Asia grocery store.

    FAQ

    Do I need to remove the seed of the jujube fruit (Chinese red date) before cooking?

    Chinese people have traditionally removed the seed before cooking jujubes, as they believe that the seed makes the dish heatier (i.e. you will be prone to getting sore throats, fevers or acne if you eat too much). However, it is possible to cook with the whole fruit (i.e. seed inside)- just remember to remove the seed before you eat the fruit.

    Other Traditional Chinese recipes

    • Close-up of a bowl of chicken porridge with a huge abalone on top.
      Easy Chinese Canned Abalone Porridge
    • Someone dunking goji berry biscotti in a cup of tea.
      13 Goji Berry Recipes (Wolfberries)
    • A bowl of Asian sea coconut cooling dessert.
      Asian Sea Coconut dessert with longan soup
    • 2 bowls of Chinese black sesame tong sui next to pink flowers.
      Easy Black Sesame Soup Dessert

    Savory soups

    Dried jujubes, as well as goji berries, are often added to Cantonese soups as a natural sweetener and for their health benefits, which I've described in this jujube tea post. It is also used in other Asian recipes, such as the famous Korean ginseng chicken soup.

    A pot of Asian silkie chicken non-herbal soup in a Dutch oven.
    Easy Chinese black chicken & red date soup recipe (Silkie Chicken)
    This easy Chinese Silkie chicken soup requires only 5-ingredients and is mostly passive cooking.
    Check out this traditional Chinese soup.
    A bowl of Chinese black chicken soup with red dates, goji berries, scallops and dried shiitake mushrooms.

    Besides this black chicken soup, you can add a couple of red dates to most soups or even rice porridge that you make- simply wash them, then remove the seed and either slice them up, or make a few gashes in the flesh to increase the surface area when cooking so that the flavour can better permeate the soup.

    Chinese Chicken Feet Soup with Peanuts
    This Chinese Chicken Feet Soup with Peanuts recipe is easy, thick, deliciously savory and rich in collagen. 15 minutes of prep followed by passive cooking then, Hello, younger-looking skin!
    Click here for the Peanut Chicken Feet Soup recipe!
    A bowl of Chinese chicken feet soup with peanuts and goji berries.
    Vietnamese jujube chicken soup
    This Herbal Red Date Chicken Soup by Delightful Plate can warm and heal your body. It will provide you with energy to fight off illnesses in colder months.
    Click here for the herbal soup.

    Drinks

    A cup of red date longan tea.

    Chinese red date tea is a healthy and warming tea with no caffeine. For more traditional Asian teas without caffeine, you can try:

    1. Korean boricha tea
    2. Chinese sour plum tea
    3. Chinese osmanthus tea
    4. Chinese wolfberry tea
    5. Lemongrass tea
    Chinese jujube tea with ginger (Red date tea)
    A traditional Chinese and Korean drink which is sweet and nourishing.
    Click here for an easy jujube tea (daechu-cha) recipe.
    A cup of cinnamon jujube tea with pine nuts on it.
    Longan Tea with Red Dates
    This Ginger Red date Longan Tea recipe with Goji Berries is a nourishing, traditional Chinese tea. It contains no caffeine and warms you right up on a cold day!
    Click here for this longan red date tea recipe.
    Someone holding a cup of longan jujube tea with other TCM ingredients in the background.

    For other Chinese New Year recipes, click here.

    Desserts

    A deep red bowl of goji berry and red dates jelly.
    Goji berry & jujube jelly
    A red jelly made with Chinese red dates (jujube), goji berries, longan, and pandan leaves by Daily Cooking Quest. Use agar powder or konnyaku jelly powder to make this vegan friendly and gluten-free dessert. (If you can't get your hands on konnyaku, here are some good agar agar alternatives.)
    Click here for the Chinese jelly recipe.
    A deep red bowl of goji berry and red dates jelly.
    Sea Coconut dessert with longan sweet soup recipe
    A Cooling Sea Coconut dessert with longan sweet soup, the perfect tong sui for hot days.
    Try this Sea Coconut Asian dessert!
    A bowl of Asian sea coconut cooling dessert.

    Which is your favourite out of all these Chinese dried jujube fruit recipes?

    I have other recipes you may like here! :)

    • A bowl of shrimp congee toped with fresh green onions.
      Best Congee Toppings
    • Close-up of a bowl of green Palak Khichdi with a red garnish.
      31 Asian Green Foods for St. Patricks Day
    • Close-up of gochujang butternut squash baked fries.
      24 Asian Side Dishes for Chicken Tenders
    • Crispy and flaky pan fried scallion pancakes on parchment paper.
      What to Eat with Scallion Pancakes

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. ray says

      April 19, 2022 at 12:34 pm

      Have a whole bag in the freezer, will have to make some of these over the weekend

      Reply
      • Zen says

        April 19, 2022 at 2:12 pm

        Thanks Ray, let me know how you find them!

        Reply

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    Greedygirlgourmet eating 2 sandwiches in Scotland

    Hi I'm Zhen also known as GGG! I couldn't boil water till I was 18 but after living abroad (in St. Andrews then London) for 11 years and having to cook for myself, I now love cooking for friends and family. Learning to cook late, I make sure my recipes go into enough detail for those new to Asian cuisine or who love a test kitchen approach to cooking!

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