Li hing mui

Did You Know?

• Li hing mui powder is made of ground plum skin pickled with licorice, red food coloring, salt, sugar, and occasionally aspartame or saccharine.
• In Hawaii, li hing mui powder is used on shave ice, sour candy, rock candy, popcorn, fruit, and arare.

Alcoholic beverages

Li hing powder is added to alcoholic drinks, especially tequila and cocktails, often replacing salt on the rim of the glass. Its sweet, sour, and salty flavor adds a tart and tangy twist. Whole li hing mui (red plum seeds) may be placed directly into a bottle of tequila, filling it at least halfway; after a few weeks, the plums impart a reddish color and flavor to the liquor. In China, huamei are sometimes found in bottles of rice wine, similar to olives in a martini.

Variations in other countries

Li hing mui is found in Korea and Japan, where it is called hoshiume (dried plum). It was introduced to Japan from China through Okinawa, but import soon stopped due to cyclamate use. A version using candyleaf was developed in 1981 by confectionaries such as Uema Confectionary in Okinawa, and it became popular in Japanese supermarkets. In Malaysia, it is known as asam boi, and the powder as serbuk asam.

In the Philippines, introduced during the Spanish colonial period by Chinese Filipino immigrants, it is called kiamoy (ciamoy in Philippine Spanish), with the powder known as kiam-muy-hoon; the powder is used in cooking, as a coating for kiamoy chicken, or as a dip for fruits. A local variant called champóy uses the native berry Myrica rubra. Li hing mui was introduced to Hawaii, Tahiti, and Samoa in the late 19th century by Chinese laborers; it is known as crack seed in Hawaii, Simoi in Samoa, and bonbon chinois in French Polynesia.

In Fiji, the powder is often called mango skin powder due to similarities in color and taste with mango skin Chinese lollies.