October 11, 2019 Brooke Wong
You may have noticed that wet crack seed products like Prune Mui are getting harder and harder to find. Now you can make your own at home! It's pretty simple, but does require a little patience.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 3 days
Yield: About 3 pounds of Mui that can be split into smaller containers
Ingredients
- 16 oz Red Li Hing Mui
- Juice from one Lemon
- Brown Sugar
- Water
- 14 oz Prunes
- 14 oz Apricots
- 2.5 oz Dried Lemon Strip
Instructions
- Make a simple syrup with 3 cups of water, 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar and the juice of one lemon. (The citric acid will help preserve your Mui, so don't leave out the lemon juice.) Bring to a boil.
- Pour boiling liquid over your one pound of Red Li Hing Mui and let soak for at least 48 hours.
- After 48 hours drain the liquid. You can keep the seed to eat wet like that or add a portion back into your Prune Mui later. But be warned that adding the seed back in may make your mixture a little bitter. We like to eat the wet seed as is or add them to a bottle of Margarita Mix!!
- Reheat the liquid in a pot and another cup of brown sugar. Bring to a boil for about 10-15 minutes. If it boils down too much you can add a little more water in this step. Just keep your eye on it and make sure you have enough to cover your dried fruit.
- While the sauce is still hot pour it over your dried prunes and apricots. Soak for 24 hours covered.
- Add in your Dried Lemon Strip or any other dried fruits that you like. You can also add back some of the Red Li Hing Mui at this point. (Some people like dried cranberries or Dried Mango in their Prune Mui. We like ours plain.)
- Pour into a clean, dry glass container and cover. Your Prune Mui should be ready in about two weeks. My aunty lets her's sit for one month. We don't have that kind of patience and want to eat it right away!
Pro Tip: Watch out for the sauce it will stain everything red if you spill it!!
There are lot's of other recipes out there for Prune Mui, but most of them call for Whiskey and Chinese Five Spice. In our opinion, this whiskey free version tastes better!
Please let us know if you make this and don't forget to tag us on Instagram if you post it. Also, if you want to make a larger batch just triple the recipe.
Filed in: Food, Hawaii, Recipe
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Comments
Anita Peterson - September 13, 2022Hi. I’m trying this recipe for the first time. Can I refrigerate it after it’s ready?
Mahalo for sharing this recipe.
Anita Peterson - August 3, 2022Hi. I’m trying this recipe for the first time. Can I refrigerate it after it’s ready?
Mahalo for sharing this recipe.
Gloria Harrison - August 23, 2022I don’t have access to dried lemon peel. Can I use fresh grated lemon zest insead?
Lorna Cummings-Poe - July 7, 2021My mo’opuna are loving it! I may have to hide it from them! Mahalo!
Lorna Poe - July 7, 2021My batch was a success! Mahalo for sharing the recipe. The mo’opuna are loving it…gonna hide it from them tonight!😜👍🏽
Coleen Kaanehe - January 20, 2021Thanks Amber, you are so correct. The grayish color really disappoints me. Wrong lemon peel.
Claire C Labajo - January 21, 2021I’m giving the prune mui as a Christmas gift. Can I leave it out side or in the refrigerator?
Rachel - April 1, 2020Thank you for this recipe! How long does prune mui last? And how should I store the prune mui? Mahalo!
Stacy - March 12, 2020Hi can you use the juice for other things too or is it specifically for the prune mui? Mahalo for your time and response.
amber - January 10, 2020never use the white lemon peel or all will turn greyish. wont be pretty. but will still taste good, and remove the seeds out of each lemon peel to or be bitter :) yummmmmmm
