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Nước sấu (sấu fruit drink)
Nước sấu: sour sấu fruit candied in sugar syrup with ginger, then served over ice water as Hanoi's summer cooler
When Hanoi's tamarind-like sấu trees drop their small green fruit in May and June, street vendors start selling glasses of nước sấu: a few candied fruits, a ladle of ginger syrup, cold water and crushed ice. Families make big jars to last until the season ends in August. It is sipped with a spoon so you can bite into the crunchy-soft fruit at the bottom. It tastes sour and sweet at once, with a clean ginger warmth and a flavour a little like green mango and plum. Traditional cooks soak the peeled fruit in limewater to keep it crisp; a salt soak works well at home. The common mistake is skipping the blanch and slow syrup: raw fruit stays acrid and the syrup clouds. Blanch the fruit briefly, then cook it gently in sugar until it turns translucent yellow-green and the syrup is clear and glossy. Store it in a sterilised jar in the fridge for up to 2 months with a clean spoon; discard if it fizzes, smells fermented or shows mould. Fresh sấu is rare abroad; look for frozen sấu in Vietnamese shops, or use firm green ambarella. Chef's tip: slash each fruit a few times so the syrup soaks all the way in.
- Total time
- 55 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 16
Ingredients
For the candied sấu
- 1 ⅛ lb sấu fruit (dracontomelon)fresh or frozen; or firm green ambarella (June plum)
- 1 tbsp salt
- 4 ¼ cups waterfor soaking
- 1 ⅜ oz fresh gingerpeeled and cut into thin matchsticks
- 14 oz sugar
- ¾ cup waterfor the syrup
For each glass
- ¾ cup cold waterper glass
- 3 ½ oz crushed ice (optional)per glass
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Sterilise a 1-litre jar and lid: wash in hot soapy water, rinse and dry in a 250°F oven for 10 minutes. Cool.
15 minStep 2: Thinly peel 1 ⅛ lb sấu fruit (dracontomelon) with a small knife (thaw first if frozen) and cut 3–4 shallow slashes in each fruit.
15 minStep 3: Dissolve 1 tbsp salt in 4 ¼ cups water, add the fruit and soak for 30 minutes, until the fruit firms up; drain and rinse.
30 minStep 4: Blanch the fruit in a pan of boiling water for 1 minute, until the colour brightens to vivid green, then drain at once.
3 minStep 5: In a wide pan, warm 14 oz sugar and ¾ cup water over medium heat, stirring, for 3 minutes until clear. Add the fruit and 1 ⅜ oz fresh ginger.
4 minStep 6: Simmer very gently for 15 minutes without stirring, just shaking the pan, until the fruit looks translucent yellow-green and the syrup is clear, glossy and coats a spoon.
15 minStep 7: Cool completely, then spoon fruit and syrup into the jar, making sure the fruit is covered. Refrigerate.
3 minStep 8: For each glass, put 3–4 fruits and 3 tbsp syrup in a glass, add ¾ cup cold water and 3 ½ oz crushed ice, stir and taste. Crush the fruit a little with a spoon for more sourness.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 105 kcal
- Protein
- 0 g
- Carbs
- 27 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does nước sấu (sấu fruit drink) take?
- About 55 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 16 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.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of fresh ginger?
- ¼ tsp ground ginger per tbsp fresh (add it with the spices).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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