Why yes, it is a lazy "recipe" post. :P
Earlier this year, I met up with Pink Candles of Ridgemont High who was nice enough to bring me a bag of calamansi, these tiny sour citruses that are popular in Filipino cuisine. Calamansi are sour, really, really sour. In a pinch, my mom uses it in place of lemons or limes in Nuoc Mam Cham (Vietnamese Fish Dipping Sauce).
I don't cook much Filipino food, so the easiest thing for me to do was to juice them.
Calamansi Juice
You'll need:
Calamansi
Lots of sugar
It's juice! Cut the calamansi in half and squeeze as much juice as you can. I actually squeezed a regular orange into mine.
Add lots and lots of sugar because calamansi are sour.
Add water.
Add ice if you wish.
Done!
Enjoy! :P
OK, now tell me what I can really do with calamansi!
Other juices:
Blood Orange Grapefruit Juice
Blood Orange Juice
Rau Ma (Vietnamese Pennywort Juice)
*****
1 year ago today, lollipop lily.
2 years ago today, Steamed Gai Lan (Chinese Broccoli) with Oyster Sauce.
3 years ago today, leeks from my garden went into a Tortilla de Patatas (Spanish Potato Omelet).
Love seeing calamansi in the spotlight! I can't find any here in MN, although I did find it in a frozen concentrate form. My husband loves to use it for cocktails. 8-)
ReplyDeleteIt's also popular in North Sulawesi cuisine. An Indonesian province that has a sea border with the Philippines. They use this for beverage as well as sambal; es lemon cui (calamansi iced) and sambal dabu-dabu
ReplyDeleteoh i love calamansi juice! when i lived in manila, my nanny used to pack my lunch (of tomato sandwiches) and a themos of this juice. brings me back to 5th & 6th grade. it has a distinct sourness that is so very diff. from lemons or limes, such goodness!
ReplyDeleteMy old neighbor was born in the Phillipines and has a very bountiful tree here in So Cal. I also use them in nuoc mam cham and actually leave a squeezed half in the jar - the flavor from the peel seems to add something over time. A few weeks ago I made marmalade from them. It is fantanstic. I did 2 c. chopped fruit (de-seed carefully) + 1-3/4 c. water. Boiled 10 minutes (they were really ripe and soft). Stir in pacvket of SureJell, bring to rolling boil for 1 minute, add 2-1/2 c sugar, boil 1 minute.
ReplyDeleteNo wonder your juice is so orange in color! At first I was afraid: "How concentrated is that calamansi juice?!" Teehee.
ReplyDeleteYour photo is beautiful. I've never heard of the fruit before, so I'll now try to get one of the local produce managers to stock it. Pigs will probably fly before that happens, but a girl has to think positively. Have a great weekend. Blessings...Mary
ReplyDeletehi wc - i'm so glad that you enjoyed the calamansi fruits! we had such a great time visiting with you!
ReplyDeleteour tree is finally bearing fruit! i won't have to bug my auntie anymore or my friend's neighbor who has 2 huge trees with more fruit than anyone could possibly use.
calamansi is also great squeezed on top of pancit noodles.
i've also used calamansi juice to make calamansi flavored cupcakes with calamansi cream cheese frosting topped with candied calamansi rinds.
:)
Sometimes my parents use it to make marinades. Other than that, we just make super vitamin c teas with different citrus fruits whenever feeling under the weather. :)
ReplyDeleteI was wondering what to do with all the fruit on my little calamansi tree. They do seem too small to juice. The tree is fairly sickly looking, leaf-wise, but it continues to produce plenty of fruit!
ReplyDeleteTangled Noodle,
ReplyDeleteI'm spoiled by all the citrus in California!
Pepy,
I will have to try calamansi with sambal!
Lan,
Tomato sandwiches! Sounds like a perfect lunch.
H,
Thanks for the tip about leaving the peel in. I imagine it'd be similar to kumquat skins? Will have to try the marmalade the next time I get some calamansi.
TS,
Haha. Yeah, I cheated!
Mary,
I'm always amazed at the diverse foods you make when you're not in Portland! But then, I always think the rest of Oregon is the boondocks. :P
CC,
Those calamansi cupcakes sound divine! Thanks again for sharing the calamansi with me.
Ozoz,
They do!
Min,
Oh! Another use. I think I'd like it with honey like lemon honey tea.
Nikki,
I've seen people use a garlic press to juice them. Saves time?