#ewew makes "Kedondong" or Umbra Juice

I've always loved "kedondong" juice and will order it whenever I see it on the menu.  Now, "kedondong" goes by many names (in different countries) but here it's more common to hear it referred to as "sar lay", ambra (umbra) or ambarella.

 

With its numerous health benefits like preventing heart disease, controlling cholesterol levels, for eye health, prevent aging, heal wounds, acts as antioxidants or as an excellent source of Vitamin C....etc., etc...it's obviously a fruit we should partake in frequently.

 

I like the juice with "assam boi" (preserved sour plum) or "sar lay shuen mui" in Cantonese like the one from Village Park...but I like them equally without the sour plum...like the one above from Penang Village.

 

And so, when I was doing grocery shopping and chanced upon the buah kedondong, I thought maybe I can try to juice it at home.  It retails for RM0.55 per 100g and this packet costs me just RM3.16 and there was probably about 20 fruits in the packet.

 

Now, you can peel the skin and eat the fruit just like that.  I did and found it crunchy with a sweet sour taste but a bit hard.  That's why you'd find it sometimes in salads and rojak too.

 

The balance I used for my juice.  I found out that if you juice the fruits whole, without peeling the skin, you'd get that nice green colour in the juice (like how I get it when I order it outside).  If you juice the fruits with the skin off, you'd end up with a light brownish coloured drink.

 

So, I cut up the fruits into small pieces, added a little bit of water and juiced them in my makeshift blender coz I don't have a proper juicer....heck, I don't even have a proper blender!  So, I had to blend and then pass the juice through a sieve.  I find making juices at home too much work coz I can easily have it outside but kedondong juice is not as commonly found as the other juices.
 

Add sugar syrup, as much or as little as you like, to sweeten your kedondong juice.  It was indeed a very refreshing drink...a little on the sour side than sweet which I love! ;)  If you have preserved sour plums, you can add one or two in as well (but I didn't have any).  It perks it up with more sourness and a tinge of saltiness as well.

 

Although it was good, it didn't taste as good as the ones I had at restaurants!  I guess the restaurants get these fruits at their optimum 'ripe age' for juicing....but we don't have such expertise to 'eye' the optimum 'age' of the fruits.  That's probably why a lot of the juices I've had outside always seem to have just the ideal sweetness (compared to the ones I make at home).

 

Would I make it again?  Hmmm, probably not......it's just too much work for this one glass! :'(

But if I have a proper juicer at home (like if someone was kind enough to gift me this super efficient, super expensive Kuvings Whole Slow Juicer *wink wink*)....then, maybe! :D  Nevertheless, I did enjoy my laborious homemade iced kedondong juice...I had to! ;)