Kitchen Recipe Collection
Fresh Sugar Cane Juice (Zhe Zhi)
The ultimate street food thirst-quencher across Southern China. A vibrant green, naturally sweet, slightly grassy raw juice pressed directly from fresh sugar cane stalks.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 0 min
- Total
- 20 min
- Servings
- 2
- Difficulty
- medium
- Cuisine
- Chinese
Ingredients
Scaled for 2 servings
- 1 large fresh sugar cane stalk (about 3 feet long)
- Optional: 1 small piece of fresh ginger or 1/2 lemon
- Ice cubes
Equipment
- Heavy cleaver
- High-speed blender
- Nut milk bag or very strong cheesecloth
Instructions
- 1
Clean the Cane
Wash the outside of the sugar cane stalk thoroughly. Use a heavy cleaver to chop it into manageable 2-inch segments.
- 2
Peel
Stand a segment on its end. Use the cleaver to carefully slice off the hard, waxy outer green/purple skin, exposing the pale fibrous interior.
- 3
Chop Fine
Chop the peeled cane segments into very small, thin matchsticks or cubes. (The smaller they are, the easier on your blender).
- 4
Blend
Place the chopped cane into a high-speed blender. Add a tiny splash of water (about 1/4 cup) just to get the blades moving.
- 5
Add Flavor (Optional)
If desired, add a small slice of ginger or a squeeze of lemon to the blender to cut the intense sweetness.
- 6
Pulverize
Blend on the highest setting until the cane is reduced to a wet, fibrous pulp.
- 7
Squeeze
Transfer the pulp into a nut milk bag. Squeeze with all your strength over a bowl to extract the vibrant, sweet juice. Discard the dry pulp.
- 8
Serve
Pour immediately over a glass of ice. The juice will oxidize and turn brown quickly, so it must be consumed fresh.
Cooking Tips
- Commercial street vendors use heavy steel rollers to press the stalks whole. The blender method works well for home cooks, but requires significant hand strength to squeeze the bag.
- Look for the pale green 'white' sugar cane rather than the dark purple 'black' sugar cane, as the green variety is much juicier and softer for juicing.
Variations
- Hot Sugar Cane Juice: In winter, street vendors will gently boil the fresh juice with ginger slices for a warming, sweet soup.
Nutrition Estimate
180 calories · 0g protein · 45g carbs · 0g fat · 0g fiber per serving
