Calamansi Drink with Salted Sour Plum

This is one refreshing drink that is good for our hot and humid weather. However, the calamansi has first to be pickled in sugar, together with salted sour plums, before we can get to enjoy the drink. 

Credit for this recipe goes to Suzzaine Ewe home baking chef (https://www.facebook.com/groups/355029287999317/).  Suzzaine Ewe is one kind soul who has unselfishly shared many good recipes on her Facebook page. 

Ingredients:  2 kg Calamansi (Limau Kasturi), 250 gm Salted Sour Plums, 1 kg Brown Sugar

Wash and drip dry calamansi

Cut calamansi into half but not right through it. Insert a salted sour plum into the calamansi

Layer the fruits in a glass bottle

Top each layer of calamansi with brown sugar

The final layer at the top is brown sugar. Cover and leave it to pickle at room temperature.

After a few days, the sugar would have melted.  A point to note is that the calamansi must always be covered with the sugar syrup.  So if need be, add more sugar or honey. Let the fruits pickle for about a month and the drink will be ready to be served. 

To serve, put a calamansi with the salted sour plum, together with some of the syrup, in a glass.  Add some water and ice cubes....and enjoy!

A simple drink that truly refreshes...

The Old Quarters of Hanoi

The Old Quarters of Hanoi is like a treasure trove filled with interesting sights and smells. This is our second trip to Hanoi and yet, we are just as amused as before how the locals cross its busy streets. They just meander their way across the road following the flow of the traffic.

A crossroad in Hanoi with traffic iights installed to ease the flow of traffic

In certain nooks and corners of the Old Quarters, there would be some delish delights awaiting. There is this  Giang Cafe where we savored the Egg Coffee. We had to walk through a narrow passageway before it opened up into the cafe. This coffee is a must-try as it is distinctly rich and creamy. Just round the corner is a shop that sells the sticky rice with toppings of meat floss and shavings of compressed cooked bean paste. Some students would have this for breakfast to last them through the day till dinner time.

Egg Coffee

Sticky rice

Then there is this Heritage House in Old Quarters where we got to see the architecture of a home before modernization sets in.

Front facade of the Heritage House

The Living Room where guests are seated

The Dining Room

The Kitchen

Interestingly, this kiln-like object is a water tank. It is placed in the air-well to collect rain water and water from the gutter at the eaves of the roof. We were informed that such water tanks are still in use in some homes in certain provinces of Vietnam.

The water tank

At Hoan Kiem Lake, it is a different picture during the weekend. The quietness of the park as enjoyed in the morning would be replaced. The park would be abound with activities from classical music performances,  dancing performances to a bustling night market scene nearby.

Hoan Kiem Lake - in the morning

Classical music performance

Night market

The Old Quarters of Hanoi is still as fascinating, and has made our current trip just as worthwhile and memorable as before.