Drinks from dracontomelon: A popular heat-relieving drink in Hanoi

Sweet drinks made from ‘sau’, a fruit which is known scientifically as Dracontomelon, are a popular heat-relieving drink in Hanoi during the hot summer.
Drinks from dracontomelon: A popular heat-relieving drink in Hanoi.
Drinks from dracontomelon: A popular heat-relieving drink in Hanoi.

Dracontomelon mixed with sugar offers a light sour yet crispy fruit taste. The drink blends the sourness of dracontomelon fruit, the sweetness of sugar, and the hot spicy taste of ginger, creating a unique drink for the capital.

First, the fruit is cleaned and the outer skin is removed. The cook then makes a deep cut on the fruit to create a spiral but does not cut the fruit from the seed.

The cut fruit is soaked in a salted solution for an hour so that it will keep its fresh colour when being soaked in sugar.

Then, it is poached in boiling water for 5-10 minutes. The sugar solution is boiled with minced ginger for three to five minutes. It must completely cool off before being poured into the dracontomelon jar. The fruit is then soaked in the sugar solution for 10-15 days.

Some drinks mixed with ice are a wonderfully refreshing drink for Hanoi’s summer heat.

VNS