Late March to early April marks the season for ripe jujubes, which are sold everywhere, from street vendors to markets. While there’s a unique pleasure in eating ripe jujubes, the waxy coating on the fruit can be irritating to those who indulge. Many people are unaware of how to remove this waxy layer, and as a result, it can cause itching and a sore throat.
Experienced growers have shared a simple method to quickly remove the waxy coating:
**Preparation:**
– A slightly rough, soft fabric such as flannel or cotton cloth. To prevent crushing the jujubes, the fabric should be soft, even if it’s slightly rough.
– Ripe jujubes
**Instructions:**
– To prevent the ripe jujubes from releasing too much liquid during the process, choose fruits that are fully ripe but not to the point of having cracked skin. For a sweeter taste, avoid jujubes with yellow-red hues and opt for those with a bright red color.
– Fold the flannel or soft, slightly rough fabric and gently rub the jujubes on it to remove the waxy coating. Be gentle to avoid crushing the fruit. Rub each side and the top of the jujube until the wax is gone.
– After removing the wax, rinse the jujubes in filtered water and enjoy.
For unripe jujubes, follow the same process to remove the wax, but since the fruit is harder, you can apply more pressure without worrying about crushing it.
– If you’re eating ripe jujubes directly, gently squeeze the fruit to soften it without crushing it. Dip the softened jujube in salt and enjoy. Softening the jujube this way reduces its sourness.
If you’re using jujubes for cooking, try these recipes after removing the waxy coating:
**1. Sour Jujube Soup**
**Preparation:** 5-10 ripe jujubes, 100g minced meat, shallots, scallions, 3 tomatoes
**Instructions:**
– Finely chop the shallots and sauté them in a little oil until fragrant. Add the washed and diced tomatoes and cook until soft.
– Prepare the jujubes as mentioned above and set them aside to drain.
– Once the tomatoes are soft, add a bowl of water to the pan and bring it to a boil. Season with salt and seasoning powder (if desired) to taste. Then, add the minced meat and jujubes, stirring to prevent the meat from clumping. Once the water boils again, skim the foam, and simmer for a few minutes until the meat is fully cooked. Crush the jujubes to add more sourness to the soup.
– Sprinkle with chopped scallions and serve in a bowl.
**2. Jujubes in Syrup**
**Preparation:** 1kg ripe jujubes, 400g sugar, salt
**Instructions:**
– Prepare the jujubes as mentioned above and set them aside to drain.
– Boil a pot of water with 2 spoons of salt and add the jujubes. Turn off the heat and soak the jujubes for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water and let them cool before peeling. Place the peeled jujubes in a large bowl.
– Add sugar and a spoon of salt to the jujubes, and mix well. Adjust the amount of sugar to your taste. Mix until the jujubes absorb the sugar, and they’re ready to eat. If you can’t finish them or want to keep them longer, cook the jujubes again. Boil them until the syrup thickens, then let them cool and store them in an airtight container in the fridge.
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