Homemade Lemon Lime Kumquat Cha

Since after making the homemade YouZi Cha – Pomelo Tea(柚子茶) or Korean name it as Yujacha, now I am going to do another type of ‘Cha’ or Jam (Marmalade). Kumquat has the wonderful citrus scent to make into homemade soothing tea Kumquat Cha (金桔茶) for fighting cold and flu symptoms.





The small golden citrus fruit looks like small orange, namely Kumquat derives from the Cantonese word also in Chinese, Kumquat (Fortunella margarita) is close to Citrus species, usually round or oval shaped. Kumquat peel has a sweet flavor and the fruit is mildly acid slightly sour in taste.

It can be eaten fresh or raw and on the whole, Kumquat has 80% Vitamin C concentrates on the peel, each hectogram reaches as high as 200 milligrams. The kumquat fresh food can make into syrup and wine, jellies, candy, making tea and beverage as cocktail drink, making into jams and preserve pickles.

Since now is quite near to Chinese Festive season to Chinese New Year, I can see most of the superstores are selling this Kumquat. Must as well, today this blog recipe is making my own healthy Lemon Lime Kumquat Cha, it can serve as Jam or marmalade. The whole process is naturally made without added water, no addictive and  without preservative. It is well worth it and much nutritious, much tasty than the commercial type.

This Kumquat Cha in golden yellow color looks freshly delicious, I made it without adding water, without additives and artificial preservative, this is really delicious and yet simple to prepare! Try to do it yourself today.

Ingredients 

• 1.5 kg of kumquats

• 7 Lemons

• 6 Limes

• Brown rock sugar – 800 g

• maltose sugar - 1 bottle (280g)

• 2 Small jam jar (glass type)

* Serve 2 jars only.


Note:

You can add equal amount of brown rock sugar to the kumquat pulp, I added slightly less brown rock sugar, just because I like to add in the maltose sugar. Maltose sugar has a sweet taste and the thick syrup is excellent in making Kumquat Cha.

Squeeze Lime and Lemon juice up to 250 ml of juices. More lemons and limes juice make the good fragrance and sweet sour in taste.

Preparation:

• Wash and dry clean the Kamquat
• Cut into smaller cube in sizes. Remove the seed.
• Squeeze the Lime and Lemon juice. Strain the lime juice with a mesh strainer to sieve the seeds. Ready for use.

 
• Wash and clean, sterilizes the jam glass jars with hot water and air drying it, the jam jars need to be very clean. Do this step earlier before start making jam.

Method: 

1. Kumquats are placed in pots, mixed in the crystal sugar and the lemon juice. Keep stirring evenly for half an hour. Stirs evenly with the soupspoon, it will slowly turn into liquidly.

2. After the mixtures is slightly combined evenly. Cover lids.Let it stand overnight. Let it immersion for at least 30 to 40 hours. I used the maximum immersion time.

3. After 40 hours later, already released the massive fruit juice and the sol. Due to the mixture after let it set out for a specified time, it dissolved into enzymes and form into fruit pectin naturally, it looks sticky and in slimy form.

4. Now cook the jam in full boil, stirs unceasingly on the stove, slowly boils out. Cook till the Kamquat is tender, if the peel is not tender yet, continue simmering with low flame until tender.

5.  Now can add in maltose sugar and stir it until it is totally dissolved.
6. When it starting boils, it quickly present some froth floats in the surface, keep stirring and penetrate stirs unceasingly, till boils the froth floating will vanishing slowly!

7. Stir constantly, when it is less moisture from the fruit and easier to boil till thickening paste. Approximately it takes about 40 to 50 minutes to set.


8. Lastly, when it sets into thick paste in jam-like patse, remove from heat.

9. The final touch, after remove the cooked kumquat jam from the stove, wait for about 15 minutes after residual heat time, ready to grate some tiny lime peel, add in grated lime peel slices, it gives the addition Lime flavor to the jam! Do not add in grated lime peel when it is still hot, it will becoming bitter in taste.

10. Until the jam is set, when cool. Place the jam into the sterilized jars.

11. It is totally thickens when it is cool.  Cover the Jar lids and keep in refrigerator. Done.

Thicken and smooth paste of Lemon Lime Kumquat Cha (金桔茶酱)

A glass of good taste Kumquat Tea (Cha) drink

Serve this Kumquat marmalade with toast

All about Kumquat and its health benefits:


Fresh Kumquat helps in regulates the flow Qi circulation of vital energy, is strongly fragrant and relieve the phlegm and quenches thirst, help digestion and hangover. The kumquat has the ability in strengthen the organism cold resistant may prevent and control cold, reduce the blood fats. Chest stuffy depressed, poor appetite and hypertension.


The kumquat fresh fruit includes rich nutrients such as rich glycosides of Vitamin C, Vitamin A, bioflavonoids, calcium and iron, rich source of fiber, Vitamin P which reduces the cholesterol count in the blood, and it is also sodium free, the kumquat also contains vitamin P which help in maintains the resistance of cell and capillary walls, and maintaining the blood vessel health, as an important nutrient in strengthen the capillaries elasticity, e.g heart disease such as an auxiliary recuperation food. Also help to maintain the cardiovascular function like slow hardening of the arteries to prevent diseases such as arteriosclerosis and hypertension.

Kumquat fruit making into Syrup, Tea, Jelly, preserved dry fruit and jam or marmalade is often been used as the nutritional therapy healthy product, the preserved kumquats dry fruit may help in whet the appetite, drinks the kumquat juice help to induce saliva and slake thirst, when blending the fresh Kumquat fruit adds with the radish juice or pear juice, it is healthy drinks which able to govern the cough and relieve sore throat.

Kumquat property is warm, can regulate the flow of vital energy or Qi, add the crystal sugar and boil with the kumquat and pear is one of the home remedy, Kumquats and its medicinal properties of mucolytics which help to break up phlegm, release impacted mucus for breathe easier and calm a sore throat,  which includes of treating the chronic bronchitis and cough.

Kumquat fruit is not suitable for those people with spleen yin deficiency or week in vital energy, to those with weak spleen problem may experience some loose bowel movement or diarrhea when taking Kumquat. Kumquat has mild laxative effect.

Tips:
• Do not drink milk before and after 1 hour when taking kumquat, because in the milk protein combined with kumquat it coagulate the tartaric acid may cause the difficulty in digest the absorption, the stomach blotting may occurred.


• Do not take fresh Kumquat when empty because will contain the organic acid which may stimulate the stomach wall mucous membrane, causes the stomach upset and will have uncomfortable feeling.