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Limau asam boi (lime with sour plum)
Limau ais asam boi: fresh lime over ice with a salted sour plum sinking slowly to the bottom
Order 'limau ais asam boi' at a kopitiam in Penang or a hawker centre in Kuala Lumpur at the hottest part of the afternoon and it arrives in a tall, sweating glass: freshly squeezed calamansi or small green limes, a little syrup, ice and one wrinkled, salted dried plum. The plum slowly leaches salt and fruity sourness into the drink, so every sip changes, starting bright and sweet and ending salty and tangy; you squash the plum with your straw halfway through for a stronger hit. It goes with char kway teow, nasi lemak or anything fried. The usual mistake is using bottled lime juice, which tastes flat and bitter against the plum. Squeeze fresh limes, and add the syrup gradually because asam boi is already salty-sweet. It is ready when the glass is frosted and the plum has started to plump up. Asam boi is sold in jars in Chinese and Southeast Asian groceries; Japanese umeboshi is saltier but works if you halve the amount. Chef's tip: make the lime-syrup base ahead and keep it cold, then pour over fresh ice only when you serve.
- Total time
- 7 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 2
Ingredients
For the syrup
- 1 ¾ oz sugar
- 3 ½ tbsp water
For two glasses
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed calamansi or lime juicefrom about 12 calamansi or 5 limes
- 1 ¼ cups cold water
- 16 ice cubes
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Heat 1 ¾ oz sugar and 3 ½ tbsp water in a small pan over medium heat, stirring, until clear. Cool completely.
3 minStep 2: Stir ¼ cup freshly squeezed calamansi or lime juice and 1 ¼ cups cold water together in a jug and add two-thirds of the syrup. Taste and add more only if it is very sour; the plums add sweetness.
2 minStep 3: Fill two tall glasses with 16 ice cubes and drop a plum (2 salted dried sour plums (asam boi)) into each, pressing it gently with a spoon to split the skin.
1 minStep 4: Pour the lime mixture over and serve straight away with a straw for crushing the plum.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 95 kcal
- Protein
- 0 g
- Carbs
- 25 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does limau asam boi (lime with sour plum) take?
- About 7 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 2 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 2 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of freshly squeezed calamansi or lime juice?
- Lemon juice, same amount.
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