Baesuk or Korean steamed pear is a traditional Korean herbal drink to help with coughs – especially for those lingering coughs after a cold and other minor throat irritations.
What is Baesuk 배숙?
Baesuk 배숙 literally means ‘pear = bae’ + ‘cooked = suk 熟’. So if you searched for it, you may see 2 different styles:
Royal Cuisine Version (궁중음식) is where the pear is peeled and cut into pieces and then a few peppercorns are embedded into the pear and then cooked in water + honey + ginger liquid.
Regular version is where you remove the center of the pear and you fill it with peppercorns and honey and steam the whole pear. And that’s what I have made in this post.
In terms of the ingredient makeup, I think they are both very similar. Pear + Honey + Peppercorns are both in the recipes. But they differ in that the Royal Cuisine version has the addition of ginger and is overall less concentrated.
One thing for sure is that yes, the royal cuisine version was served as desserts to royal families in the Joseon era. And the Korean steamed pear appears in Donguibogam 동의보감 (Principles and Practice of Eastern Medicine) where it is said to “release chest congestion and reduce the hotness (not fever but in oriental medicine one’s body becomes too hot when you have a ‘cold’) of the body“.
I will also try to make the royal cuisine version soon but I first wanted to share what I have been making in my family for years.
My Baesuk (Korean Steamed Pear) Story
Did you ever wonder how within the same family, one person usually gets terrible sore throats and coughs when the other gets colds with very stuffy or runny noses? In our family, my husband always gets terrible sinus colds while I rarely (probably just 1-2 times over our 30+ years of marriage) get that but I get a cold that will always go to my throat and then I end up with terrible coughs that makes my abs hurt.
My poor daughter of course seems to get it just about evenly. But when she gets a coughing cold, it will last for a good few weeks!
It’s soo annoying, isn’t it? Once in college, I was so tired of it, I took a double dose of a cough medicine I got from the pharmacy because I thought maybe if I drank a lot of it, my cough would go away. HAHAHA.. no, don’t do this folks.
I mean.. I don’t usually do things like that – in fact, it was the only time ever in my life not following instructions on the medicine bottle. Now, did it do anything at all?? No..
When I got married and started living in the US, I tried making Baesuk for myself because I remember hearing about it vaguely as a child. And you know what? It actually worked!! And then I became a real believer when my daughter as a toddler started to cough for weeks after a cold and I tried all the cough syrups but found that only my baesuk worked!!
Of course, it was a bit of a challenge to get my girl to eat something so spicy 😝(with the peppercorns) but I just needed to have her take it for a few days and the coughs would just subside. Yay for mom!!
Korean Steamed Pear (Baesuk) as a cold remedy
So I know you may wonder if Baesuk really helps your coughs and if it does, HOW that can be. I couldn’t find any direct scientific studies done on Baesuk itself but I was able to find a few sources that talks about each of the ingredients in this steamed pear recipe.
Here’s what I found on Pears – “A review of pears (Pyrus spp.), ancient functional food for modern times“. From various in vitro, in vivo, and human studies, the medicinal functions of pears can be summarized as anti-diabetic,-obese, −hyperlipidemic, −inflammatory, −mutagenic, and -carcinogenic effects, detoxification of xenobiotics, respiratory and cardio-protective effects, and skin whitening effects.
So it looks like Pears do have some respiratory protective effects.
Regarding honey, I found “Honey for Treatment of Cough in Children” written by an MD who is the Chief of the Pediatric Emergency at the BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver. He says “A single dose of honey before bedtime was shown in recent studies to diminish cough and the discomfort experienced by children and their parents.”.
Finally, one of the most interesting finds about peppercorns is that in India, it’s a long article on peppercorn home remedies.
There are remedies that include honey and peppercorns together in Indian culture, and remedies that use pear and honey together in Chinese culture. This Korean Baesuk recipe includes all 3 and so I think it should work pretty well!
Traditional Baesuk 배숙 (Korean Steamed Pear)
- 1 Asian pear (Korean pear at the Korean market works best)
- 1 Tbsp peppercorns
- 1/3 cup or less honey (whatever amount fills up the pear)
- 3 jujube dates (daechu)
Instructions
- Remove seeds from jujube dates and slice or chop the fruit.
- Using a pairing knife, cut across the top part of the pear including the stem so the top come off like a cap. Then cut out the center part of the pear including the seeds and quite a bit of the surrounding fruit. I usually leave about 3/4 inch thickness of the fruit, thick enough for it to stand after fully steaming the fruit. See video.
- Into the cored-out center of the pear, add peppercorns, pear pieces cut from cored-out parts, jujube from 1 and honey to fill up the hollowed-out center.
- Prepare a steamer (I used my pressure rice cooker but you can use whatever steamer you have) and put the pear in the steamer. Cover the cut top with the previously pear top – like putting a cap on.. haha..
- Steam the pear in a pressure rice cooker using the STEAM function, set for 30 min. OR steam it in a regular pot steamer on stove top for about 1 hr or until the fruit becomes really soft.
Simplified Kimchimari’s Baesuk – pear simmered in honey and peppercorns
This simplified version works just as well as the traditional steamed whole pear version and keeps for weeks in the refrigerator so I kind of prefer making this one in general.
- 1 Asian pear
- 1 Tbsp peppercorns
- 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup honey (depending on how big the pear is)
- 2 jujube dates (optional)
- 1 cinnamon stick (optional)
Instructions
- Peel and cut Asian pear into small thin slices. Cut the pear into vertical slices then into smaller horizontal slices.
- Optionally – Remove seeds from jujube dates and cut or chop them into smaller pieces. If adding cinnamon sticks, break it so that it will fit into the pot. You can substitute cinnamon powder if you don’t have a stick.
- In a small pot, add all of the cut pears, then honey, peppercorns and optionally – dates and the cinnamon stick.
- Bring to boil then simmer for 15-20 min or until the honey has reduced and the pears become translucent and very soft.
FROM JINJOO!
Tips and Variations for Baesuk
- STORAGE – Store both steamed or simmered pear in the refrigerator. It should keep for a couple weeks.
- LEFTOVERS – if your coughs are gone but you still have some leftovers, try making hot tea by mixing it with hot water.
- Substitutions – if you don’t have whole peppercorns, you can add just ground black pepper but lots of it! Also, you can add cinnamon powder instead of the stick.
- Does it HAVE to be Asian Pear? Honestly, I’m not sure but I think it will probably still work if you use more readily available bosc or other pears.
How to eat Baesuk for coughs
I usually eat 1-2 teaspoonfuls of the simmered pear with the honey and peppercorns about 2 times a day until cough stops. Usually, I find that you don’t have to take it longer than 3-4 days. If it persists, you should definitely see a doctor. Honestly, it’s not easy to eat as it’s quite sweet and the spicy peppercorns will pop in your mouth and you are hit with the spice. But we all drink cough syrups, right? 😉 Anyway, I found that a couple of teaspoonfuls of this really worked better than any cough syrup I tried.
Disclaimer
The above Baesuk remedy is based on old Korean traditional folk/herbal medicine. This can be taken for minor coughs but are in no way a substitute for a physician’s diagnosis and prescription. If the problem persists, consult a doctor immediately. Although this remedy is generally safe for the public and usually has no side effects, but Kimchimari LLC advises that this be taken at the reader’s sole discretion.
Baesuk (Korean Steamed Pear) 2 ways
Ingredients
Whole Steamed Pear Recipe
- 1 each Asian (Korean) Pear
- 1 Tbsp peppercorns
- 1/3 cup honey or more
- 2 each jujube dates
Simplified Simmered Pear Recipe
- 1 each Asian Pear
- 1 Tbsp peppercorns
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 each jujube dates optional
- 1 each cinnamon stick optional
Instructions
Whole Steamed Pear
- Remove seeds from jujube dates and slice or chop the fruit.2 each jujube dates
- Using a pairing knife, cut across the top part of the pear including the stem so the top come off like a cap. Then cut out the center part of the pear including the seeds and quite a bit of the surrounding fruit. I usually leave about 3/4 inch thickness of the fruit, thick enough for it to stand after fully steaming the fruit. See video.1 each Asian (Korean) Pear
- Prepare a steamer (I used my pressure rice cooker bu you can use whatever steamer you have) and put the pear in the steamer. Then in the cored-out center of the pear, add peppercorns, pear pieces (from cored out pieces), jujube from 1 and honey to fill up the hollowed-out center.1 Tbsp peppercorns, 2 each jujube dates, 1/3 cup honey
- You can then cover it with the cut top like putting a cap on.. haha..
- Steam the pear in a pressure rice cooker using the STEAM function, set for 30 min. OR steam it in a regular pot steamer on stove top for about 1 hr or until the fruit becomes really soft.
Simplified Simmered Pear
- Peel, remove seeds and cut pear into slices1 each Asian (Korean) Pear
- In a pot, add cut pear slices, honey, peppercorns and optoinally cinnamon and jujube dates.1 Tbsp peppercorns, 2 each jujube dates, 1 each cinnamon stick, 1/2 cup honey
- Bring to boil and simmer for 15-20 min until pear becomes translucent and liquid has reduced significantly.
- Remove from heat and enjoy 1-2 teaspoonfuls for lingering coughs.
Equipment
- 1 steamer or pressure cooker optional
Tips & Notes:
- most Asian grocery stores (definitely Korean, Chinese, and Japanese stores will have it) and now many regular grocery stores carry these pears.
- store in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks
- substitute common Bosc or other pears if you can’t find asian pears
Thank you so much for posting this recipe – I was nine weeks into yet another sinus-related cough that just wouldn’t go away despite medication when I found this and decided to give it a go. I made the simmered version, added grated ginger in place of cinnamon, and omitted the red dates. And it worked – I felt the improvement begin within hours. By the end of the week, I was fine. (I actually enjoyed the taste, too, peppercorns and all. I’m tempted to try it as a topping for ice cream.) It’s a relief to know I’ve now got a remedy on hand for the next time it happens.
Wow that’s awesome! I’m so happy to hear that!! Thank you so much for sharing your experience. And adding ginger was a great idea – that’s always good for coughs and colds.
Oh and topping for ice cream? I think that would work really well too!
I tried it on a good quality plain vanilla and it was terrific! The contrast between the hot pepper and the cold sweetness was delicious.
OH! That’s wonderful! Thank you so much for coming back to let me know. I actually have some left from my current batch (I just got COVID couple weeks ago.. sigh) – I’m going to try it on my ice cream this weekend. Thank you!!
I love this so much!
I hope you have a speedy recovery.
Thank you so much Karen. ❤️
I tried this on a desperate whim for lingering heartburn that was lasting for days and it must have done something bc my heartburn is gone! Prior to this I was taking over the counter heartburn chews, fasting, eating soft foods. I asked in a previous comment about eating the peppercorn before making this (don’t see comment) but now that I’ve tried it, yep totally soft and edible however surprisingly spicy! I only ate 1 peppercorn. Also I had this more as a hot tea by combining spoonfuls to taste with hot water. It was the most pleasant tasting natural “medicine” I’ve had yet. Would even make a nice dessert. Highly recommend.
Hi Tina, OH! The steamed pear is meant for coughs and didn’t know it can work for heartburn?? But hey, if you say it helped, I’m so happy to hear that!! I do have another post for heartburn tho – I make cabbage juice from cooked cabbage – https://kimchimari.com/why-i-eat-gluten-free-and-cabbage-juice/. Thank you so much!
Ooh very interesting! I will try the cabbage juice next time. Btw, I don’t get email notifications when you respond in comments. I just came back to check 🙂 Enjoy Jeju!!
Oh That’s good to know! Thank you so much Tina. I will have to check – did you also check your spam folder? Perhaps it ended up there.
Hello! I’m making this now. Just making sure that you eat the peppercorns too? Your post does mention it but wanted to double check. I’ve never eaten whole black peppercorns before. Thank you!
Hi Tina, So sorry for the late reply. I was traveling from Jeju Island and had limited access. But yes, you do eat the peppercorns too! Thank you.