The Buddha hand fruit was only available in the supermarkets during the Chinese New Year festive season; two weeks after the festive celebrations, these fruits were all removed from the shelves. Curiosity got the better of me and I had to buy them back home before they were gone in order to find out more about these little (freaky) wonders of nature.
Here is what I did with mine as a little culinary experiment – cook them in sugar water to form a citrus sugar syrup, which in turn could be used to make refreshing cups of ‘Buddhahandamade’ to beat the heats of the dreadfully early summer.
You will love it as much as I did mine. Try it the next time you catch a glimpse of this fruit!
Ingredients:
- Buddha hand: 2, washed, dried, cubed
- Water: 500ml + 500ml (2 cups + 2 cups)
- Sugar: 600g
Method:
- Place Buddha hand cubes in pot. Fill with 500ml water to cover the cubes.
- Blanch and simmer for 30min till cubes turn translucent.
- Drain away water. Add sugar and another 500ml water into pot.
- Cook 15 min till syrup thickens. Remove from heat.
- Leave to cool for 1 hr. Store syrup with fruit in fridge for up to 1 year.
Trick:
- Make a refreshing summer drink with the syrup (picture above). Spoon 1 tbsp of the translucent fruit and 4 tbsp of syrup into a cup. Pour in 1/3 cup boiled water and stir to dissolve the syrup. Lastly, add one handful of ice into the mixture and voila!
Disclaimers:
- Learn more about the Buddha hand fruit at ‘The Formiddable Buddha Hand Citrus Fruit’ to explore other culinary adventures!
- This recipe was kindly adapted from David Lebovitz’s ‘Candied Citron‘.
Serving:
About 500ml syrup + 1 cup of fruits
