Indonesian sirsak syrup

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 300 g sugar, white
• 200 g fruit juice (sirsak juice, soursop juice)
• 15 g fresh ginger
• 2 cloves
• 2 tbsp honey, light

Instructions

Working time approx. 10 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 15 minutes; Total time approx. 25 minutes

for desserts and long drinks

Wash the fresh ginger, peel it, and slice it crosswise into thin slices. Place all the syrup ingredients in a saucepan and simmer with the lid on for 15 minutes. Stir frequently to prevent burning. Remove from the heat and let cool, discard the ginger and cloves, add the honey, and mix until smooth. The syrup will keep in a sealed glass bottle in the refrigerator for about 2 months. Note: Sirsak juice is milky white, slightly sweet and somewhat sour, similar to apple juice. When cooked with sugar, it loses its milky color and becomes honey-yellow. This honey-like syrup is far superior in flavor to the relatively thin honey found here. It is often used as a glaze for various desserts and long drinks. The sirsak is a green, slightly prickly fruit that can weigh from a few hundred grams to 1.5 kg. There are two varieties, which differ externally in the type of spines: Sirsak susu, with soft, slightly milky spines (approx. 1 mm) and smooth, slightly glossy skin, with a slightly milky-sour, lychee-like flavor. The other variety has pronounced spines (approx. 2 mm), but not hard like durian fruits, and also has smooth skin. Its flavor is tart to sour and lychee-like. Similar to rhubarb, these fruits require sugar for cakes. Ideally, this should be done overnight with approximately 20–30% sirsak syrup. The pulp should then be strained for cakes. The milky juice is used for non-alcoholic cocktails or long drinks with ice.