Have you ever seen or eaten kumquats? This small fruit is generally oval in shape and has a bright orange color. Due to its sour taste, kumquats can be bred together with other citrus fruits, but are sometimes classified as a separate genus. Another uniqueness, the skin of the kumquat fruit has a sweet taste and is actually delicious to eat. As a result, eating them whole will result in a very unique flavor explosion in your mouth!
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Method 1 of 2: Eating Kumquat
Step 1. Choose a fully ripe kumquat
Generally, ripe kumquats will be bright orange to orange-yellow in color. Avoid green kumquats, which indicate the flesh is not ripe. In addition, make sure the skin of the kumquat is smooth, dense, and free from spots and wrinkles.
Step 2. Wash and dry the kumquats
Wherever you buy kumquats, don't forget to clean the skin first with cold running water. Since the skin of the kumquat is edible, make sure that no traces of dirt or pesticides remain. After that, dry the kumquats with kitchen paper.
Step 3. Rub the skin of the kumquat (optional)
According to some people, rubbing or pressing the skin of a kumquat with your fingers can make the tiny fruit produce a sweet, citrusy aroma.
Step 4. Remove the seeds (optional)
Although not toxic, kumquat seeds have a bitter taste like the seeds of citrus fruits. So if you're not lazy or busy, try slicing a kumquat and scooping out the seeds. If you want, you can also spit out the kumquat seeds while eating them, or even chew them if you don't mind the very bitter taste.
Also remove the green stems
Step 5. Eat kumquats
Uniquely, kumquat has a sweet skin and sour flesh. Therefore, try chewing on the tip of the kumquat to feel the skin first. After tasting the juice, the kumquat can be chewed bit by bit or eaten whole. Believe me, the combination of sweet and sour taste will feel very unique on your tongue!
- Some species of kumquat have a less sour taste or a thicker skin. If the combination of kumquat flavors doesn't feel pleasant to your taste buds, look for a different kumquat species or use kumquats for cooking.
- If you don't like the sour taste, squeeze the kumquat juice and eat only the skin.
Step 6. Save the excess kumquat
Kumquats can last for two days at room temperature, or two weeks in an airtight container stored in the refrigerator. If stored in the refrigerator, kumquats can be consumed immediately cold or warmed first at room temperature.
Method 2 of 2: Turning Kumquats into Various Cuisine
Step 1. Slice the kumquats and mix them into a bowl of lettuce
Its intense flavor makes kumquats delicious paired with bitter or spicy vegetables, such as endive or arugula. First, thinly slice the kumquat with a very sharp knife. Then, remove the seeds and arrange the kumquat slices on the surface of the lettuce to bring out the color.
Step 2. Process the kumquats into marmalade or jam made from a mixture of skin and fruit pulp
Kumquat jam will have a much sweeter taste than regular marmalade, and it's not much different from other marmalade or fruit jam recipes.
Since kumquat seeds contain pectin, you can boil them with the pulp to thicken the texture of the marmalade. Don't forget to put the kumquat seeds in a cheese strainer and tie the ends of the cloth tightly so the seeds don't get mixed into the marmalade
Step 3. Process the kumquats into pickles
Generally, it takes about three days to get the desired results. However, the process is very much worth the taste of pickled kumquats which is quite unique because it does not completely remove the sweetness of the kumquat skin.
Step 4. Add kumquats to meaty dishes
Sour kumquats can add a unique flavor to lamb and poultry dishes. The trick, add the kumquat about 30 minutes before the meat is finished cooking. In particular, kumquats are delicious paired with a variety of seafood. However, don't use kumquats as a marinade! Instead, add kumquats at the last second, such as as a garnish or vinaigrette mix.
Step 5. Infuse kumquat-flavored vodka
Wash as many kumquats as you can, then cut each in half. Put at least 10 kumquats in a 240 ml vodka glass. Then, pour the vodka into a glass and place the glass in a cool, dark place. Every day, shake the glass once. Supposedly, the taste of the kumquat should start infusing the vodka after two days. Although the taste of the kumquats should be quite strong after a week or two, you can let them sit for a few weeks or even months to strengthen the flavor and aroma!
If you like sweet liquor, add about 25 grams of sugar for every 240 ml of vodka
Step 6. Boil the kumquats
In the United States, kumquats first appear on Thanksgiving. If you want to spice up your big day or holiday with kumquat flavours, try mixing kumquats into cranberry sauce, or use the same approach to turning kumquats into chutneys and various desserts:
- Slice 360 grams of kumquat, then remove seeds and stems.
- Then, boil the kumquats in a covered pot of 60 ml of water until they have softened in texture.
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After that, add one of the following ingredients:
- A can of cranberry sauce
- Or dried cherries, grated ginger, black pepper and cinnamon
- Or 150-200 grams of sugar to make kumquat candy
- Boil open kumquats for 10-15 minutes until the chutney is slightly translucent. Add water if it looks too dry.
Step 7. Freeze the kumquat skin in a container
Slice large kumquats horizontally, then scoop out the tart pulp with a small spoon and mix into smoothies, fruit lettuce, or ice cream. Then, freeze the kumquat skins in an airtight container so you can use them as a sorbet or other dessert container at a later date.
Alternatively, you can also leave the flesh of the fruit attached to the peeled kumquat. After that, dip the ends into the beaten egg white and honey mixture, then dip back into the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Freeze and serve as a sumptuous dessert whenever you want
Step 8. Done
Tips
- In fact, there are several species of kumquats. Different species will of course have different shapes (like round or oblong), and different colors (like yellow or orange). In particular, meiwa kumquats are the sweetest tasting species, while marumi, nagami, and hong kong kumquats tend to be more sour.
- Most kumquat seeds are at the end of the fruit opposite the stem. To remove them, you just need to cut the area and scoop out the seeds with a knife.
- In the country of the four seasons, kumquats are at their most ripe in winter. If someone sells kumquats other than that season, chances are that what you find is an imported product, so the freshness or freshness will not be optimal.
