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Preparation
4 hours
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Processing
20 minutes
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Difficulty
Medium
Young areca nut jam is a rustic dish of the Mekong Delta people during the Tet festival. This jam has a red color, a chewy and soft texture, with a sweet-sour taste that is very easy to eat, both delicious and extremely good for health. If you want to change the taste of Tet jam for your family, then let’s cook right away with TasteVN!
Ingredients for Young areca nut Jam For 4 people
Young areca nuts 1 kg (including peel) Alum 5 gr Red sting drink 50 ml Sugar 250 gr
How to choose young areca nuts
- Choose areca nuts that are just ripe and not too old, otherwise the jam will become hard.
- Areca nuts from the time of fruit set to harvest will take about 160 days to produce the best jam; those harvested after 170 days will result in hard jam.
- You can peel the fruit and squeeze the areca nut flesh with your hands. If the flesh is chewy and soft, it can be used.
How to process Young areca nut Jam
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Extract the areca nut flesh
Use a pestle or hammer to gently tap the green peel to extract the areca nut flesh.
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Soak the areca nuts
Dissolve 5 grams of alum in a little water, then add the areca nut flesh and soak for 4 hours to extract the latex.
After 4 hours, pour out the alum water and use your hands to squeeze the areca nut flesh with clean water about 2 – 3 times.
Next, soak the areca nut flesh overnight in diluted lemon juice.
After soaking overnight, continue to squeeze the areca nut flesh with clean water until it no longer tastes bitter.
Finally, place the areca nuts in a colander and let them drain completely.
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Soak the areca nuts with sugar
Mix the areca nuts with 250 grams of sugar and 50ml of red sting sweet water.
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Dry the areca nut candy
Dry the areca nut candy in the strong sunlight for 4 – 5 days until the candy is dry and the sugar crystallizes on the candy is complete.
Note: During the drying process, remember to occasionally stir with chopsticks so that the areca nuts absorb the sugar evenly!
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Product
The betel nut candy has a light fragrance, and when eaten, it is chewy with a sweet and sour taste; just trying a piece is delightful!
How to preserve jam
- When the jam has completely cooled, you should store it in glass jars or tightly closed plastic bags.
- Store the jars of jam in a closed cupboard, in a dry environment, avoiding high-temperature areas like the kitchen.
- You should not keep jam in the refrigerator’s cool compartment. Because this will spoil the jam and cause it to leak if placed outside at room temperature.
- To avoid attracting ants, you just need to add a few bay leaves or cloves into the jar or container of jam.
- Additionally, you can also use the peels of citrus fruits like lemons or grapefruits placed in the cupboard, which will effectively repel ants.
TasteVN wishes you success in making the decorative jam soft and delicious, unique for this year’s Tet celebration!
*Source of the recipe and images from the YouTube channel Western Bear
