Taiwanese Winter Melon Tea: Caramelized Wax Gourd Cooler for the School Thermos

Toss the winter melon cubes with both sugars in a large heavy pot and let stand 30 minutes. The sugar will draw a surprising amount of liquid from the melon.

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 2 lb winter melon (wax gourd), peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 cup dark brown sugar or Taiwanese black sugar
• 1/2 cup rock sugar or granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon water, to start the sugar
• 6 cups cold water
• 1 pandan leaf, knotted, optional
• Pinch of salt
• Ice and lemon wedges, for serving

Instructions

1. Toss the winter melon cubes with both sugars in a large heavy pot and let stand 30 minutes. The sugar will draw a surprising amount of liquid from the melon.
2. Add the tablespoon of water and set the pot over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
3. Reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 60 to 75 minutes, stirring now and then, until the melon collapses into translucent threads and the syrup turns a deep amber and smells like caramel.
4. Add the pandan leaf if using and the pinch of salt during the last 10 minutes.
5. Strain through a fine sieve, pressing on the solids to extract every drop of syrup. You should have about 2 cups of thick, dark concentrate. Let it cool, then store in a jar in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.
6. To serve, stir 1/3 cup of concentrate into 1 cup of cold water. Taste and add more concentrate for a sweeter, more caramel-forward drink. Pour over ice with a squeeze of lemon.
7. For a thermos, mix the concentrate with cold water the night before and chill. It stays crisp and cold through the school day, and the concentrate makes it a 30-second job every morning.
8. Winter melon tea, or dong gua cha, is one of Taiwan's oldest street drinks, sold from pushcarts decades before bubble tea existed. The name is a bit of a puzzle, since there is no tea in it at all; the drink is winter melon slowly cooked down with brown sugar until it caramelizes into a syrup the color of strong tea. Cooks in Tainan still boil it in enormous woks, and the syrup keeps for weeks, which is exactly why it suits a busy household. One quiet hour on a weekend yields a jar that turns plain water into something gently sweet and faintly smoky for the rest of the month.

Nutrition (estimated, per serving)

• Calories: 120 kcal
• Protein: 0g
• Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 31g
• Fiber: 0g
• Sugar: 30g
• Sodium: 35mg