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Suco de cajá
Suco de cajá: tart golden cajá pulp blended with cold water and a little sugar into Bahia's most perfumed juice
Walk along the beach barracas of Salvador or into any lanchonete in Recife and the juice board will list cajá near the top. The small yellow fruit, from tall trees that grow wild across Bahia and the Northeast, is too sour to eat out of hand but makes a juice with a scent that people there treat as a taste of home: floral, sharp and tropical, a little like passion fruit and mango crossed with lime. It is drunk ice-cold with lunch, with a plate of moqueca, or after an afternoon in the sun. Most Brazilians use frozen pulp, which keeps the fragrance well. The common mistake is drowning it in sugar or blending it with too much water so the perfume disappears; cajá should taste lively and tart, so sweeten lightly and taste as you go. It is ready when it is a bright golden-yellow, lightly frothy, and smells floral as soon as you lift the jug. Outside Brazil, look for frozen cajá pulp in Latin American shops; the same fruit is sold as jobo or yellow mombin, or ciruela in Mexico. Chef's tip: blend with half ice and half water instead of all water for a frothier, colder juice.
- Total time
- 5 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the juice
- 7 oz frozen cajá pulpor 400 g ripe cajá, peeled and stoned; jobo or yellow mombin
- 2 ½ cups cold water
- 1 ¾ oz sugarabout 4 tbsp, or to taste
To serve
- 12 ice cubes (optional)
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Break 7 oz frozen cajá pulp into pieces and put it in a blender with 2 ½ cups cold water and half the 1 oz sugar.
1 minStep 2: Blend on high for 30–40 seconds, until smooth, golden and frothy.
1 minStep 3: Taste and add the remaining ⅔ oz sugar only if needed; it should stay pleasantly tart. Blend 5 seconds more.
1 minStep 4: Strain through a sieve if you prefer it very smooth, then pour over 12 ice cubes and serve at once, while the froth is still on top.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 75 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 19 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does suco de cajá take?
- About 5 minutes in total.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 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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