Asian Pennywort Drink Recipe

Name: Asian Pennywort Drink Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 5.3 ounces pennywort leaves; 3.5 ounces white sugar; 50 fluid ounces water; pandan leaves (optional, see notes); ice cubes (optional, for a chilled drink)

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This Asian pennywort drink recipe is so easy to make and full of health benefits. It’s a simple beverage for any time of the day. You can follow the recipe exactly or skip the sugar to make it even healthier.

Pennywort juice in a tall glass and mug.

This green leaf drink is not only healthy, but also incredibly refreshing when served with ice. Just like roselle juice and green Thai tea, it’s perfect for cooling down on a hot day in Thailand.

What is pennywort drink

Pennywort drink is a herbal beverage made from the pennywort plant, popular for its health benefits. It’s a staple in traditional Asian medicine, cherished for its immunity-boosting and healing-promoting effects.

Pennywort drink has a unique, fresh taste that leans toward bitterness when enjoyed plain. That’s why I love to sweeten it with some sugar! Feel free to taste it plain before adding sugar to your taste.

Pennywort drink benefits

Potsandpans says pennywort is full of health benefits. It helps your liver and stomach, heals wounds, and improves digestion and memory. It also helps with stomach ulcers and urinary tract infections.

Mixing pennywort juice with honey can boost the immunity of babies under a year old. It’s good for constipation, long-lasting ulcers, and can help with coughs and breathing problems.

My grandmother says pennywort helps relieve wounds and swelling. She always makes me drink it pure, mixed with water, or eat the leaves whole whenever I have an injury.

In short, pennywort is great for you and your body, and this drink is as healthy as it is delicious!

Nam bai bua bok

In Thailand, this healthy drink is known as nam bai bua bok. Nam means water, bai is leaf, and bua bok is pennywort. In my family, we usually have these leaves on the side with raw beef salad and pork larb.

The drink is also really popular in Vietnamese cuisine, where it goes by the name nuoc rau ma.

Pennywort drink in a mug and tall glass.

What you’ll love most about this pennywort drink is how easy it is – we’ll just blend the leaves, filter the juice, and them add them to sugar syrup – that’s all!

I like to add some pandan leaves for a nice fragrance and better taste because I think it enhances the flavor compared to just adding pennywort. Additionally, you can switch up the sugar with brown sugar.

You can serve it chilled on a hot summer’s day or warm on during the colder days. It’s delicious and healthy either way.

Pennywort leaves

You’ll need pennywort leaves for making this drink recipe. My grandmother has lots of these nutritious green herbs growing in her front garden. In Western countries, pennywort leaves can be found in some Asian grocery stores or health food stores.

Check out this pennywort growing guide if you want to grow it at home!

Pennywort leaves growing in the wild. — Pennywort leaves growing in my grandmother’s garden.

To keep pennywort leaves fresh, store them in an airtight bag or container after making sure they’re dry. Put them in the fridge, ideally in the veggie drawer. If they start wilting, soak them in cold water and dry them before refrigerating.

Make this recipe soon after getting your leaves for the best taste. If you don’t use them right away, you can freeze them for later but make sure to clean them first.

Ingredients

Ingredients can be sourced at Asian grocery stores and Asian markets.
The exact measurements are in the recipe card at the end of this post.

Pennywort – This green, leafy plant is known for its health benefits, perfect for making refreshing herbal drinks.
White sugar – White sugar adds sweetness to balance the slightly bitter taste of pennywort. Adjust the quantity to your taste.
Water – The base of the drink.
Pandan (optional) – You can add pandan for extra flavor and fragrance. If you have some pandan leaves on hand, you should definitely try my pandan drink too!
Ice cubes (optional) – For a chilled drink during hot summer days.

You can make variations with sparkling water, ginger, mint, and lime.

How to make pennywort juice

Step 1: Heat a pot on medium and mix 34 fl oz of water with sugar and pandan leaves (if using) until the sugar dissolves to make sugar syrup. Take it off the heat.

Pennywort juice in a blender before and after mixing.

Step 2: Chop the pennywort leaves for easy blending, then mix them up with the remaining water in a blender.

Filtering pennywort juice through a filter cloth.

Step 3: Strain the blended pennywort mixture into a bowl.

Pennywort juice added to sugar syrup in a pot.

Step 4: Pour the strained juice into the sugar water, stir well, and let it cool. Enjoy it over ice or chilled from the fridge.

Kitchenware

Measuring spoons and cups
Strainer or cheesecloth
Large bowl
Saucepan
Blender

Storing rau ma drink

To keep it fresh after making it, store the pennywort drink in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and it should stay fresh for up to 2 days.

Frequently asked questions

What can I do if my drink is too bitter?

Add more sugar to balance the bitter taste.

Can I drink pennywort every day?

For adults, the maximum intake of pennywort is 40 grams (about 1.4 ounces) a day. Enjoying it once daily is a perfect balance to reap its benefits while staying within a healthy limit.

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