by Kristy Kim

It is inevitable that with the cozy fall season comes the flu season. It can be difficult to romanticize fall when you are stuck at home with a box of tissues. Worry not, because these Korean home remedies will fix your cold and are easy to buy or make at home. These drinks and soups will help strengthen your immune system and ultimately give you the energy to pull through the fall season. The best part is that you don’t have to be sick to try any of them! If you have a big exam and need to boost your immune system, or just want to replenish your body after a long stressful day, any of these drinks will have your body feeling warm and nurtured. 

Citron tea – Yuja Tea (Korean Citron Tea)

This tea hits the perfect spot for anyone with a sore throat and immediately makes you feel so much better. It is full of Vitamin C and antioxidants that will promote healing of your body in a natural way. I would drink this after a long, tiring day, and immediately feel better and re-energized. There are a few ingredients needed for this tea which include yuzu, white sugar, citron marmalade, and water. All of the ingredients can be bought at your local Asian market! At first, it can taste very strong, but you can feel it immediately working its way down your throat, healing your body as you sip. If you want to add some sweetness, honey would go perfectly with this tea. 

Baesuk 

Korean baesuk is a soup for the soul. It is a steamed Korean pear full of all the good stuff essential for healing your body, like ginger and honey. This can be eaten hot or cold, but since we are on the topic of flu season, we recommend having it hot. You can also eat this as a dessert, because it is just that good. Your sore throat and cold will be gone after trying this out! It’s a super simple soup to make and uses ingredients like ginger, honey, pine nuts, cinnamon, korean pear, and jujube – which are all great for your body. One of the things we love about this soup is that it is also an aesthetically pleasing dish that you can be proud of once you make it! 

Korean ginseng tea – Ginseng Tea (Insam Cha)

This tea is very strong and might not be the tastiest, but trust us when we say this is the tea that will make you feel powerful and revitalized. Ginseng is extremely beneficial for your body’s overall immune and stress system; it’s said that ginseng heals everything. It will take time to adjust the taste of it – even to this day, it can still be a bit too much for our taste buds – but this is the tea that will fix everything. Nowadays, you can easily find tea packets online to buy, but if you are interested in making your own batch, all you need is jujube, ginseng, water, and honey!

Juk porridge – Dakjuk (Korean Chicken Porridge)

This last recipe is one of our favorite dishes to eat at any time. This Korean chicken porridge will make you feel cozy and warm during your worst. It will warm you up in the cold weather and it’s the perfect meal to fill your tummy. It is primarily made with leftover chicken soup, but you can make it from scratch if you’d like! This is the meal that you would fight over with siblings to get seconds and even thirds, and it is just the ultimate comfort food. You can make this at home or go to your local Korean restaurant. It is a very popular Korean dish served almost everywhere!