How to Make Vietnamese Peach Compote

Prepare the Peaches

Remove the stems from the peaches, then soak and rinse them thoroughly in salted water. After rinsing, drain the peaches. Meanwhile, prepare a bowl of diluted salted water, enough to fully submerge the peaches for soaking later.

Cut the peaches into bite-sized pieces. Depending on the size, you can cut the peaches into 4, 5, or 6 pieces. However, avoid cutting the peaches too small, as they may become mushy and break apart when cooked.

As you cut the peaches, immediately submerge them in the bowl of salted water. This helps remove the bitterness and prevents the peaches from browning.

Once all the peaches are cut, peel them. If you peel the peaches first, it will be difficult to cut them as they will become slippery. Additionally, peeling them as you cut will reduce browning.

If you keep the skin on, the peaches will have a stronger aroma and remain crunchier, but for safety, it's recommended to peel them as peaches are often treated with chemicals.

After peeling, soak the peaches for an additional 2-3 minutes, then rinse them with fresh water to remove the salty taste and drain.

Cook the Sugar Syrup

The peach syrup will look more appealing and attractive if it has a golden color, and some people even prefer a darker hue. If you're using white sugar, rock sugar, or yellow sugar, you need to caramelize a small portion of the sugar to achieve this color. If you're using palm sugar, you can skip this step as it naturally gives a rich color when cooked.

For about 1.5kg of peaches (after peeling and pitting, you'll have about 1.2kg), you'll need approximately 600-700g of sugar (adjust according to your sweetness preference; for this recipe, 600g is used) and about 1 liter of water. However, to caramelize the sugar, you only need a small amount, roughly 1/10 of the total sugar used for soaking the peaches.

Add about 60g of sugar and 20ml of water to a pot, and bring this mixture to a boil over medium-low heat.

Once the sugar has dissolved, stir and cook until the sugar reaches a golden color. Be careful not to overcook, as it will affect the flavor of the sugar.

At this point, add about 1 liter of hot water and the remaining sugar (about 540g) to the pot, and stir well. Because the caramel is very hot, adding cold water can cause splattering, so it's safer to use hot water.

When the syrup begins to boil, add the peach slices. The cooking time will vary depending on the amount and thickness of the peach slices, but generally, it takes about 3-6 minutes, or until the peach slices become translucent.

Remove the peaches from the syrup and transfer them to an ice bath to firm up and retain their crunch.

Once the peaches have cooled, place them on a tray to drain completely. Next, you can place the peaches in a sealed bag and freeze them for about 30-40 minutes to enhance their crunchiness. Be careful not to let the peaches come into direct contact with the freezer, as ice crystals can form on the peach slices, and when added to the syrup, they will spoil more quickly and develop a slimy texture due to the cold water exposure.

To keep the peaches crisp, there are two methods: after cooking, soak the peaches in an ice bath as described above, or place the peaches in a pre-chilled bowl from the freezer (and you can place this bowl inside another bowl of ice water). However, peaches chilled in an ice bath may not last as long as those chilled in a cold bowl without water exposure.
However, as mentioned earlier, the crispness of the peach compote is more influenced by selecting firm peaches and cooking them for the appropriate amount of time, rather than just by chilling them after boiling.

After removing the peaches, bring the syrup back to a boil, skim off any foam, and add the juice of half a lemon. The lemon juice adds a pleasant tartness and helps preserve the compote longer by preventing spoilage and mold. Once done, turn off the heat and let the syrup cool.

After soaking the peaches for two days, you can remove them and bring the syrup to a boil once more. Let the syrup cool completely before adding the peaches back in and returning the mixture to the jar for storage in the fridge. This will help the compote last even longer.

Soak the Peaches

Once the syrup has cooled, pour it into the jar and add the peaches, sealing the jar tightly. Store the jar in a cool place, though it's recommended to refrigerate it for the best results. You can also make a large batch and divide it into smaller jars, storing them in the freezer for future use.

If your glass jar is made of good quality, heat-resistant material, you can pour the warm syrup into the jar and let it cool gradually before adding the peaches. This method also sterilizes the jar and helps preserve the compote for a longer time without spoilage.

The peach syrup is fragrant, mildly sweet, and refreshing. Serve with ice for a delicious, cooling drink. This is also a great way to prepare peaches for making peach tea, combining them with other ingredients for even more delicious variations like peach and lemongrass tea or peach and plum tea.

In addition to peach compote, you can also make plum compote, plum syrup, or mulberry syrup for the whole family to enjoy this summer.