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Nutmeg juice
Jus buah pala: Penang's cooling blend of nutmeg fruit, sugar and ice, sweet, sour and gently spiced
Penang is one of the few places in the world where nutmeg trees grow in back gardens, and its hawkers turn the pale, tart flesh around the nutmeg seed into jus buah pala, a frosty pale drink served at Gurney Drive and the coffee shops of Chulia Street to cool you down after spicy noodles. It tastes sweet and sour with a soft, woody spice. Outside Malaysia, look for preserved or candied nutmeg fruit strips in Asian grocers. Chef's tip: use only the fruit flesh; the seed (the nutmeg spice) and its red lace of mace are far too strong to blend into a drink and can make you unwell.
- Total time
- 10 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 7 oz fresh nutmeg fruit fleshor 120 g candied nutmeg fruit strips
- 3 tbsp sugarless if using candied fruit
- 2 ½ cups cold water
- 10 ½ oz ice cubes
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: If using fresh fruit, peel it, cut the flesh away and discard the brown seed and the red mace around it. Common mistake: blending the seed in. If using candied strips, rinse off the surface sugar.
5 minStep 2: Blend 7 oz fresh nutmeg fruit flesh with 2 ½ cups cold water, 3 tbsp sugar and half of 10 ½ oz ice cubes for 1 minute, until smooth and frothy.
2 minStep 3: Taste and add more sugar if it is too sour. Strain through a sieve if you prefer it smooth.
1 minStep 4: Pour over the rest of the ice and serve straight away.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 90 kcal
- Protein
- 0 g
- Carbs
- 23 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does nutmeg juice take?
- About 10 minutes in total.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 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.
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