Sunday 16 July 2017

Best Way To Eat Guava


I don't know if this qualifies as a pickle but in Malay it is called Jeruk Jambu Batu Asam Boi and the word jeruk means pickle. Or perhaps the word "marinated" would be more appropriate.

Eating guava with asam boi (preserved plums) is nothing new and I remember it being a sensation when I was in secondary school.

Everywhere you go, there are fruit stalls or guava stalls dedicated to selling this fruit with a sprinkling of asam boi powder. It's still very popular of course. 

Guava was never a favorite of mine due to it's rather bland taste and hard seeds. In Terengganu, it is also called buah butir banyok (fruit with many seeds). I remember my mum loving it, she could munch through a very hard guava, seeds and all, without the asam boi powder.


What prompted me to buy a guava and some buah kedondong (ambra) is a recipe I bookmarked from Dari Dapur MaDiHaA - Jeruk Kedondong Asamboi. Just the name alone, my salivary glands worked overtime.

The recipe uses whole asam boi (cut into smaller pieces) instead of powdered asam boi

It's not difficult to make this delicious marinated fruits, just wash, peel and slice. Then mix everything up with the cut up asam boi and let it marinate for a few hours or overnight in the fridge.

Most recipes I came across call for adding sugar. But I did not do this because I don't like it too sweet. After all, the asam boi itself does contain some sugar.


A word about the buah kedondong. I get mine from the supermarket and depending on luck, some of the kedondong are young and you won't have to deal with the fibrous mid section.



The ones I bought were mostly matured and I had to cut away the mid section. Perhaps if you bought these from the market, you could choose the young tender ones.

Well, this is a delicious way to eat sour fruits and it makes guava so tasty. A fruit stall at The Starling is selling these marinated fruits at RM2.80 per 100g. When I find unripe mango, I'll be marinating those too.

Guava Marinated with Asam Boi
Recipe source : Adapted from Dari Dapur MaDiHaA

Ingredients :
- 1 large guava
- 6 buah kedondong (ambra)
- 2 packets of asam boi

Method :
1. Wash and peel the guava and ambra and cut into bit sized pieces.
2. Remove the flesh of the asam boi from the seeds and cut into smaller pieces.
3. In a mixing bowl, mix the cut fruits with the asam boi.
4. Keep in a container and let marinate for a few hours or overnight before consuming.

32 comments:

  1. I've always held the same sentiments toward guava, that I don't really like it, especially with the sourish powder. I'd prefer something juicier and sweeter, say, watermelon or mango. But admittedly, guava is more convenient and economical for a stall selling fruits. And with our current hot weather, a slice of guava would be refreshing! ;)

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    1. Nowadays there are varieties which are sweeter and there is also pink guava. But I still prefer the original one. With asam boi of course :)

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  2. They have guava salad at Payung here but I think I only had that once - would rather go for the pomelo.

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    1. I have had guava added to rojak but I feel that it does not belong there. It's better eaten on its own.

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  3. Usually i had the powder with guava....

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  4. I like the asam powder with my guava. Yum yum. The rose apple (jambu air), I also like to eat with the powder. ^^

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    1. I have seen the jambu air with asam boi sold at the fruit stall. But I haven't bought any to try.

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  5. Wow, yummy
    I like to eat with asam boi too :)

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  6. Although I do love crispy food, when it comes to fruits, I levitate towards soft fruits like mango, grapes, bananas, etc as my fav fruits. And I also happen to love guava but only if the guava is 1) ripe and soft (which is difficult to get outside as they're usually crunchy as that is the preferred texture in general) and 2) if the assam boi is in powdered form as I like the assam boi sticking onto the entire surface of the guava...hehe! ;) And as much as I don't like sweet stuff, I think I need a bit of sugar to counter the sourish (and salty) flavours (since the assam boi has got a fair amount of saltiness).

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    1. Oh, soft guava is a no no for me and my mum hee..hee..But I have eaten soft guava before and I really don't mind it. Using the asam boi powder is a lot more convenient and yes, you get better coverage. I'll go for that the next time I have guava.

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  7. This one is nice!
    But my all time favorite, just eat it plain hehe! My sons also love guavas like me.

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    1. Plain is better lah, hor. Don't know if asam boi is good for health or not hee..hee...

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  8. I salivating non-stop when reading this post >_< The guava seeds are hard and your mom really has good teeth huh :P

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  9. Yes, I eat guava this way too.. my sister in law started doing this and my family loves the way it is marinated.. very appetizing and nice..

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    1. With this, now I cannot tahan to eat guava plain hah..hah..

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  10. I Ada byk buah kedondong kt umh, myhusben tanam, tk payah beli pun

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    1. Best lah macam tu. Anytime boleh makan buah kedondong yang fresh dan muda.

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  11. I like to eat guava just as it is. no need to have assam boi for me.

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  12. My goodness....I am salivating and swallowing my saliva even before I reach the end of your post. I must go looking for guava and kedondong tomorrow and plus some assam boi too! Slurps....

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    1. Yes, do that! Very enjoyable fruit snack :)

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  13. Alamak! So evil!
    Now I'm craving for it!

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  14. I used to eat soft food only due to my bad teeth. I have crowned 4 teeth and now I love to munch & chew on the hardest crispy guava! Bring on!

    #GigiBesiTM

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    1. Better be careful and not crack your crown :)

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  15. My husband suka asam asam mcm ni LL....kalah I yang pompuan ni....
    Buah buah mcm ni makan dengan Asam Boi memang terbaik! Match sangatkan...

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    1. Eh, biasanya lelaki tak berapa suka asam2 kan, Hainom? LL suka buah yang masam. Kalau beli mangga, LL pilih yang separuh masak.

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  16. I love this so much, I can eat this non stop.

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