Orange Shrub Recipe with Yunnan Tea and Szechuan Peppers
This Orange Shrub Recipe with Yunnan Tea and Szechuan Peppers has a bright orange-lemon flavor that is balanced with a slightly spicy maltiness.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Orange Sugar with Szechuan Pepper
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup orange pieces* skin and pith removed
- 1 teaspoon Szechuan pepper crushed in mortar and pestle
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 Yunnan Black tea bags or two tablespoons loose leaf tea
Instructions
- Add the sugar and the water together in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved.
- Add the oranges and Szechuan peppers and cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until the syrup has become the color of the fruit and the fruit has lost its vibrancy.
- Add the vinegar and bring the mixture back to a simmer (about 5 to 8 minutes). Turn off the heat and add the tea bags or leaves, letting them steep for 3 minutes.
- Strain using a fine-meshed sieve covered with one layer of cheesecloth.
- Pour into a jar and keep it in the fridge.
Notes
- The pith from oranges can be very bitter. To prevent bitterness, use a paring knife to cut away all the pith to prevent bitterness. I like to cut the bottoms of the tops of oranges to create a flat surface and then use a small paring knife to remove the skin and any pith from the orange.