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Aguajina
Aguaje palm fruit drink
Aguajina: Iquitos's chilled orange drink of aguaje palm fruit pulp
Aguaje is the scaly, chestnut-red fruit of the moriche palm that grows in the flooded forests around Iquitos, and its orange flesh ends up in ice lollies, ice cream and, above all, aguajina, the cold drink sold in plastic cups at every corner and in Belén market. The taste is unusual and loved locally: tangy, a little like apricot and carrot, with a rich, slightly oily body. Fresh aguaje must be softened in warm water for an hour before its thin layer of pulp can be scraped off; outside Peru, frozen aguaje pulp from Latin American shops is the realistic choice and gives a good result. A common slip is adding all the sugar before tasting: the pulp's sourness varies from pack to pack, so sweeten at the end. Serve very cold with lunch or on a hot afternoon. Chef's tip: blend the pulp with only part of the water first, so it breaks down fully, then stir in the rest.
- Total time
- 15 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 14 oz aguaje pulpfrozen, thawed; from Latin American shops
- 5 cups cold water
- 3 ½ oz sugarabout; adjust to taste
- 1 tbsp lime juice (optional)optional, to sharpen
- 12 ice cubesto serve
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Blend 14 oz aguaje pulp with a third of 1 ¾ cups cold water and 1 ¾ oz sugar until smooth and bright orange, about 1 minute.
Step 2: Strain through a medium sieve into a jug, pressing the pulp with a spoon. Stir in the rest of 3 ¼ cups cold water.
Step 3: Taste and add the rest of 1 ¾ oz sugar until it is sweet but still tangy, plus 1 tbsp lime juice if you like. Stir until the sugar dissolves.
Step 4: Chill until very cold and serve over 12 ice cubes, stirring first as it settles.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 120 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 22 g
- Fat
- 4 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does aguajina take?
- About 15 minutes in total.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 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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