August 2, 2018

Chinese Preserved Limes 咸檸檬

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A sore throat is no fun.  My little girl recently had a sore throat.  Just a sore throat, no runny nose or coughing.  But, thing is, it wouldn't go away.  My little girl doesn't get sick that often, thank goodness, but when she does she's as grumpy as a wee bear bumped out of hibernation.  

I tried some homeopathic meds on her, the kind that works wonders for our usual colds, but it didn't help that much.  Finally, in desperation, we decided to try a Chinese traditional folk remedy for sore throats, a brine preserved lime crushed in some water or, as it is often served in Hong Kong, in a tall cool glass of 7up soda.  

We bought a bottle of preserved limes at our local supermarket and tried it at home.  When I say this I'm not exaggerating but, seriously, my girl's sore throat was pretty much not only soothed right away but somehow chased right out of the house.  Wowzers!  I was converted on the spot!  

I decided we needed to have our own supply of these Chinese Preserved Limes 咸檸檬 (also called Chinese Salted Lemons strangely enough, though it's limes that are used) in the house so that we could indulge ourselves in this deliciously refreshing Chinese Preserved Lime Tonic Drink, or 咸檸 7,  not only so soothing for overworked and sore throats but also a most excellently cooling beverage for general body heatiness, just the thing for these hot summer months!  

Plus it's actually wickedly delicious!

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These preserved limes are actually naturally fermented (any preserve not preserved with vinegar is naturally fermented), which transforms them thru a natural process into a powerhouse of beneficial enzymes, lactic acid and probiotics, which in turn will boost your immunity and improve your gut health.  Plus there is whatever magical thing in these preserved limes that kicks ass on sore throats!

We've grown to understand that eating fermented foods is not only a good idea for family health but a must...so we've been trying to incorporate as many kinds of naturally fermented foods in our diet as possible like kimchi, fermented cheese, miso, chinese preserved beancurd 腐乳, shrimp paste 蝦醬, homemade fermented rice 甜酒釀 etc.  Just our luck that these preserved limes are another naturally fermented food!

And though tis very good for your health, the limes are magically delicious as well...the lime tonic is sooo refreshing...I love it so much!  I'm going to have a jar of these preserved limes in the house all year round.  So easy to make and keeps long too.

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Use fresh limes.  We used the regular limes but a lot of folks use the smaller aromatic Thai limes.  Wash and dry.

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This part was really interesting.  The limes needed to get a serious sun tan so we, living in a Hong Kong house which means no balcony or garden, decided to just put the limes next to the window to get the best of whatever summer sun it could get.  

Not sure if that was going to work but, lo and behold, my limes, after a half day in the window sun, changed colors to a brownish yellow.  Neat-O!  I think this step does something transformational to the skin because the limes were much more aromatic afterwards.

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We decided to go with a very simple brine for our preserves.  There are a lot of recipes for preserved limes out there and many of them use very copious amounts of salt but we liked the gentle very aromatic result that we got with our simple brine.  Our preserved limes ended up tasting much like the Chiu Chow style preserved limes, which is exactly what we wanted.

Boil and cool the brine and then pour to cover the limes in a jar.  Makes for a beautiful jar of preserves, that's for sure!  Close jar and it's time to wait for Nature to do its work.  Just be reminded that the limes will let off a wee bit of gas as they are preserved so either your jar needs to be not so tight or you need to open the jar lid every couple of days to let the gas out.  

After the first month the gas should be all let out.

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After brining for a month your limes are ready.  I love preserving foods, if only to see how they transform and to discover the new form of texture and taste that they end up having.  

The limes, as you can see, were completely transformed inside and out in texture.  The aroma was sublimely fragrant.  The taste was something completely new and unique yet still with hints of the original tart lime and salt...but more intense somehow when melded together.  Fascinating stuff...

Chinese, Preserved Limes, preserved lemons, chui chow, salted lime lemon, fermented lime lemon, recipe, method, how to, tonic drink, 7up,   咸青檸 , 咸檸 7, 醃鹹檸檬, 咸檸檬

When in need of a refreshing throat soothing Chinese Preserved Lime Tonic Drink 咸檸 7, slice open a lime and crush half a lime in the bottom of your glass.  Just bang on it with a chopstick or spoon.  Add a splash of cool water or 7up (it tastes crazy good with 7up, don't know why) and drink it down.  

Ahhhhhh.....!  So refreshing and soothing to the whole body!  And it really works (I swear on my bear!) as soothing drink for a sore throats.  

Plus you can even cook with preserved limes...my 老公 hubby is just this minute cooking up a yummilicious Preserved Lime Black Bean Steamed Fish 咸檸豉汁蒸魚, a savory treat using our own homemade Chinese Preserved Limes!

Chinese, Preserved Limes, preserved lemons, chui chow, salted lime lemon, fermented lime lemon, recipe, method, how to, tonic drink, 7up,   咸青檸 , 咸檸 7, 醃鹹檸檬, 咸檸檬
Chinese Preserved Limes Recipe 咸檸檬
Prep time:  Sunning time: 4 hours,  Ferment time:
Ingredients:

Directions:
Heat water in a pot that can fit all limes.  When water is boiled add in limes for a 5 seconds then scoop them out.  Wipe dry and then leave in the sun for 4 hours or until the limes turn a brownish tone.

Meanwhile in a small pot add in water, salt and boil until the salt is completely dissolved.  Cool the water completely.  Add limes into glass jar, then fill up with salt water, making sure to cover the limes completely with brine.  

If needed use a small clean and dry saucer to weight the limes down so that they stay submerged.  Cover the jar loosely, being sure to allow for the bit of gas escaping as the limes ferment.  (We used an air tight jar and opened it every couple of days for the lst month to allow gas out.)  

The preserved limes will be ready after 1 month.  Limes will keep for months as long as you use clean and dry utensils to remove limes.  Use to cook with or make a refreshing throat soothing tonic drink (recipe below) with your preserved limes.

Chinese Preserved Lime 7up Tonic Recipe 咸檸七
(makes one tall glass)  Prep time:    Cook time:

Ingredients:
  • 1/2 preserved lime
  • 1 can 7up soda
  • ice (optional)

Directions:
Remove lime from preserving jar with a clean and dry utensil.  Slice in half.  Place half lime in a drinking glass.  Use a spoon or chopsticks to crush the lime a bit.  

Add in ice if using and fill up with the 7up.  Enjoy your tonic!

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27 comments:

  1. hi there. do you leave the jar out in the open or in the fridge for brining.

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    Replies
    1. No refrigeration needed, just keep it in a cool area away from any direct sun. ~ellen

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  2. Outstanding information once again! Thank you=)

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  3. Hi can I leave the jar in fridge during fermentation?

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    Replies
    1. Yes if you like but fermentation will likely take longer. ~ellen

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  4. Can I use meyer lemons or only limes?

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    Replies
    1. This is traditionally made with limes. However the brining principle should allow you to make preserved lemons in the same way. It would just taste different and perhaps not have the same effect on coughs. Do let me know how it turns out if you try it! ~ellen

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    2. I have been looking for the lemon version for a long time. A friend of mine gave me a small tonic bottle of it and it worked great! So lemons work great.

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    3. Oh that's good to know! ~ellen

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  5. Nice! Needed that too. What salt to use? Table salt?

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    Replies
    1. It's almost always better to use unprocessed salt, so no table salt is best. Plus the mineral nutrients in unprocessed salt will infuse in the lime as well.
      Table salt is great for cleaning.

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  6. Yes, table salt or if you want to get fancy use sea salt. ~ellen

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  7. Hi! Thank you for sharing this recipe. I tried it and just a tiny drop of the brine only, after 1 month of fermentation, is loaded with probiotics. Thank you once again. Can I keep the jar of preserved limes in the fridge after the one month of fermentation?

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  8. So glad you like it! We keep our jar of limes at room temp in air tight jar (once the gases are done rising). But to be extra safe can keep in the fridge.😋~ellen

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  9. Hi Lydia - The lime is kept whole thru the preserving process and is cut to wedges only when you want to use it for making tonic or cooking. ~ellen

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  10. Hi Ellen, thank you so much for your recipes! They really bring me back with a rush of nostalgia :) (my mom made this years back but only once with lemons haha).
    For this recipe, can we re-use the brine?

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  11. Hi Julia - you’re most welcome! The brine can be reused but it needs to be refreshed with new brine. ~ellen

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  12. I had mould start to form on the surface of the water. Did I do something wrong?

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    Replies
    1. You have to keep the limes completely submerged otherwise you can get mold. Use a small dry clean saucer to weigh down the limes under the water. ~ellen

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  13. If I remove the mould on the top, are they still fit for consumption or I need to redo

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  14. Remove mold from top, discard any molded limes. Anything that was completely submerged in the brine should be okay to consume but smell and do a taste test first. If it smells and tastes okay then should be okay to eat. Remember to completely submerge the limes in the brine to prevent mold. ~ellen

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  15. May I know how long can you keep these limes in the fridge? Can i keep it for years?

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  16. Hi Gie - you can keep it indefinitely in the fridge, but make sure to use clean and dry utensils to remove limes. We store ours at room temperature in dark area and it keeps for a long, long time. ~ellen

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  17. What is the salt to water ratio?

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  18. Hey mi2. The ratio of salt to water is 1:5 1/3 ~ellen

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