This Kumquat recipe is a Chinese sore throat remedy, for the next time you are sick – just add a couple of kumquats to your mug, mash them with a fork and fill with hot water. Swirl in a bit of honey.
Why This Salted Kumquat Recipe Is So Good
- A traditional Chinese remedy for sore throat, which has been around for generations.
- Easy to make.
- Keeps indefinitely in the fridge.
Ingredients
- Kumquats
- Kosher Salt
How To Make This Chinese Salted Kumquats Recipe – Step By Step
- In a mason jar, add alternating layers of kumquat and salt until the jar is completely filled and the kumquats are somewhat smushed tightly inside.
- Cover and refrigerate indefinitely, but at least for 2 weeks.
To Make The Tea
- Make tea from the kumquats mixture to help heal a sore throat.
- In a glass, add 2-3 salted kumquats, some of the salt mixture, hot water and honey until it is drinkable. Choke it down. Feel better.
A Tried And Tested Remedy For Sore Throats
One of my Mom’s favorite remedies for sore throat is salted, preserved kumquat mixed in hot water and a little honey. Basically, it’s just like making Moroccan preserved lemons, but with kumquat.
Salt For Sore Throats
Several studies have found that warm saltwater can reduce swelling in the throat and loosen mucus, helping to flush out irritants or bacteria. The kumquats soak up salt and disperse it in the tea.
Health Benefits Of Kumquats
Kumquats are an excellent source of vitamin C. They’re also rich in fiber and water, making them a weight loss friendly food.
Because kumquat peels are edible, you can tap into their rich reservoirs of plant compounds. These have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and cholesterol-lowering properties.
The vitamin C and plant compounds in kumquats help bolster the immune system to fight infections and may help reduce your risk of certain cancers.
Where Can I Buy Kumquats?
Kumquats grown in the United States are in season from November through June, but availability may vary depending on where you live.
If you wait until the end of the season to look for them, you may miss out.
Check for kumquats in supermarkets, gourmet food stores and Asian grocery stores. If you live in a state where the fruits are grown, you also may find them at farmers markets.
The most common variety sold in the United States is the Nagami, which has an oval shape. The Meiwa variety is also popular, and is round and a bit sweeter.
If you can’t find kumquats in local grocery stores, you can also order them online.
Top Tips For This Chinese Salted Kumquat Recipe
- Keep in mind that the salt will take up a lot of room. So, the bigger the mason jar the better!
- Make sure to give the mason jar a good shake from time to time.
- This Salted Kumquat recipe keeps indefinitely, but I like to make a fresh batch at the start of each winter season.
Chinese Salted Kumquat Recipe Video
Check Out These Other Kumquat Recipes
- Kale Kumquat Salad
- Chocolate Kumquat Spring Rolls
- Pineapple, Kumquat and Ginger Crisp with Coconut Topping
Have you tried this Salted Kumquat recipe? Feel free to leave a star rating and I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!
Chinese Salted Kumquat Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- Kumquats (enough to fully smush into the jar)
- Kosher Salt (enough to fill in all the cracks)
Instructions
- In a mason jar, add alternating layers of kumquat and salt until the jar is completely filled and the kumquats are somewhat smushed tightly inside. Cover and refrigerate indefinitely, but at least for 2 weeks.
For the Salted Kumquat Tea
- Make tea from the kumquats mixture to help heal a sore throat. In a glass, add 2-3 salted kumquats, some of the salt mixture, hot water and honey until it is drinkable. Choke it down. Feel better.
Did you try this recipe? Please leave a star rating in the recipe card below and leave a review in the comment section! I always appreciate your feedback and I know other readers do, too!
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My family has been making for generations. I just opened a jar labelled 2007! Indefinite is right!
Hi the salt has mostly turned to liquid so what do I do next?
I did this recipe but am getting a whole bunch of liquid at the bottom of the mason jar. Is this normal?
i love all Chinese Recipes especially Chinese Salted Kumquat Recipe
I’m dying from a cough and a Chinese friend gave me one of these yday. It soothed my cough for quite some time! I’m going to make this. Thanks for the recipe!
Steamy Kitchen, Hopefully you can Why my salt just won’t dissolve into liquid? It been over a year already
It should be just fine. Before using the salted kumquat, just brush off the salt or rinse off.
It must have something to do with salt. Reading another person’s post I was raised with gargle hot salt water also. Still to this day with all the medicine’s that are out there it is the best for sore throat. Love salt so I’m going to have to try this recipe also.
You should not use your fingers or a used spoon to get the kumquats out of the jar. Contamination will cause mold to get started. Same as using a used spoon in the honey too.
Thanks for this recipe! I’m going to try it with Calamondins since that is what I grow. Always need sore throat recipes.
I come from Singapore and that is what we use for sore throat (Preserved Kumquats are readily available). Since living in San Francisco, I use Meyer lemons and it has worked well.
I think its probably the salt killing the germs, like the comment from the nurse. But, there is another fruit related to the kumquat called Loquat. If you can get to chinese herb store you can find Honey Loquat syrup. Add it to tea and it will help with a cough. I was skeptical but it worked for me. Why does it work? Don’t know. 🙂
Thank you, I am going to make this to have on hand.
This is interesting and I need to give it a try with Himalayan pink salt. I love the taste of the pink salt.
I have been wanting this Chinese Salted Kumquat Recipe. I don’t want that in my food chain.
Wow! I will have to try that!
I just watched your video and that phone call was hilarious!!! When I was little & had a sore throat (we’re Chinese), my mom would have us suck on “sour balls” (that’s what we called them). They’re actually salted dried plums. They’re really salty and hard and have a pit in the middle. It always worked. Now that I have my own kids, I have them suck on those “sour balls” now. You video reminded me of my childhood.
Any particular kind of salt needed?
I like kosher salt or sea salt. But any salt is fine.
I lived in Japan and found a wonderful citron tea orig. from Korea made of any type of citron plus honey. Looks like a marmalade that you add to water and drink. Citrons are high in Vit C and honey has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. My mom always told me to gargle with warm salt water to reduce swelling in the throat and loosen mucus which contains bacteria.
Even my mom doesn’t know why some traditional Sri Lankan remedies work – but they sure do!
I haven’t tried salted kumquat before – for sore throats and colds my mom fed us “rasam” made with tamarind, spices and lemons-it looked like sewer water, but it did smell good!
Thanks so much for sharing this Chinese remedy, Jaden
This reminds me of something that someone brouight back from Hawaii years ago and I think it was called “Bak Fa Ning Mong”, used for sore throat. It was also very dark in color, so it makes me believe it was kept longer than two weeks and I wonder if it was lemons and not kumquats. It was so long ago, I don’t remember anymore!
That transliteration is literally white flower lemon, so I’d say it was definitely lemon.
Never heard of this remedy…..interesting….one week too late for me….I lived 5 years in Mainland China….we used the Asian Pear steamed with a little rock sugar and then mashed…with the syrup….also something called called Pang Da Hai (?sp.) for lose of voice….we swore by that….I am thinking it is seaweed or the root from something from the ocean…do you know? are you from Hong Kong perhaps? I have a book with Chinese food healthy recipes …..problem being I am not Chinese….but have great respect for their knowledge.
just thinking from what I know from nursing and learned when talked about gargling salt water for sore throat, I was told that it is because the solution is hypertonic. With all the salt, and maybe from the concentration of fruit sugars from the pickling, it acts like a sponge. Because of the osmotic principle, the water from the germs in your throat will want to flow into the salty particles to evenly distribute the water, but in effect it makes them shrink and they will become unable to adhere.
Here is a little info on gargling salt water: http://www.personal.psu.edu/afr3/blogs/SIOW/2011/11/why-do-we-gargle-salt-water.html
And kumquat nutritional value:
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/1935/2
It does have some vitamin C. I am not Chinese, and have not been to China.. but I would guess it was kumquats because they were readily available? And maybe people could just plop one in their mouth and suck on it because they’re about that size.
Just my thought 🙂 Feel Better!
I’m Chinese and I’ve never heard of this! Chinese fail. 🙂
Your parents are so cute, I think you need to include them more on your blog. 🙂
Thanks for sharing. I like the kumquat in salt remedy. I am going to have to try this. Though I am not wishing any sickness on me. My mother always said just gargle with salt water.
Your parents are so sweet and your hair cut look great. Hope you are all feeling better.
OMG! I love salted kumquat. It works wonders when I have a sore throat. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you why it works either. It’s just something my grandmother and parents passed on to me.