Caldo de cana
Caldo de cana (garapa): fresh sugarcane juice with lime, made at home in a blender
Ice-cold sugarcane juice pressed while you wait is the drink of Brazilian street fairs, poured into tall glasses at the pastel stall so you can wash down a hot, crisp pastel. São Paulo's feiras livres made the pairing famous, and in the Northeast the same juice is called garapa. It is pale green, very sweet, grassy and refreshing, sharpened with lime. Without a cane press, you can make it at home by blending peeled cane with a little water and straining it; buy fresh sugarcane sticks in Asian, Caribbean or Latin shops. It oxidises and darkens fast, so drink it immediately. Using cane that is not fully peeled is a common error, and the woody green rind makes the juice bitter. Chef's tip: chill the cane before peeling and blend it with ice cubes as well as water, so the juice comes out cold without being diluted later.
- Total time
- 15 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 2
Ingredients
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What you'll need
Fresh ingredients (1)
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Peel 1 ⅛ lb fresh sugarcane with a strong knife, cutting away all the hard green rind, and chop into small pieces.
Step 2: Put the cane in a powerful blender with 1 cup cold water, 6 ice cubes and 3 ½ oz fresh pineapple if using, and blend on high for 2 minutes, until the fibres are shredded.
2 minStep 3: Strain through a fine sieve lined with muslin, squeezing the fibres hard to get every drop.
Step 4: Stir in 1 lime, pour into glasses and drink at once, before the juice turns brown.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 130 kcal
- Protein
- 0 g
- Carbs
- 33 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does caldo de cana take?
- About 15 minutes in total.
- How many people does it serve?
- 2 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 lime?
- Lemon, same amount.
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