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Guarapo
Guarapo: fresh-pressed Cuban sugarcane juice with lime over ice
Guarapo stands, or guaraperas, pop up across Cuba wherever cane grows, crushing fresh stalks through a press and pouring the pale green juice straight over ice. It tastes grassy and gently sweet, never sugary, and it is drunk the moment it is pressed. You need a sugarcane press or juicer, or fresh peeled cane and a strong blender; bottled cane juice is a poor substitute. The common mistake is pressing the cane long before serving, because the juice darkens and starts to ferment within an hour. Chef's tip: chill the cane before pressing and add the lime as you press, which keeps the colour bright.
- Total time
- 10 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 2
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ lb fresh sugarcane stalkspeeled, cut into short lengths
- 1 limejuiced
- ⅜ in fresh ginger (optional)peeled
- 10 ice cubes
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Method
0/3 doneStep 1: Peel the hard outer skin from 2 ¼ lb fresh sugarcane stalks with a sharp knife and cut it into lengths that fit your press.
8 minStep 2: Feed the cane through a sugarcane press with ⅜ in fresh ginger. If you are using a blender instead, chop the cane into 2 cm chunks, blend with 150 ml cold water, then squeeze the pulp hard through a muslin cloth.
5 minStep 3: Stir in 1 lime and pour over 10 ice cubes. Drink within 30 minutes.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 180 kcal
- Protein
- 0 g
- Carbs
- 45 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does guarapo take?
- About 10 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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