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Look what I found today?
Calamansi. Or Calamondin, or sometimes spelled as kalamansi.
I didn’t find the tree, because calamansi or calamondin trees are everywhere here in SoCal and can be bought at Home Depot and many Asian grocery stores. I don’t have the patience nor do I have a green thumb to grow my own calamansi tree.
I found fresh, plump, juicy, fruity, and ripe calamansi—an ingredient that I have been trying to source for the longest time…
Words fail to describe how overjoyed and excited I was when I found these beauties at the Island Pacific Supermarket, in Cerritos, Orange County. Kudos to my reader David C, who tipped me on where to find them. Thank you so much David C, you’re the best!
I rushed home immediately and made myself a glass of calamansi juice with ice, just like the way it’s served back home in Malaysia. I took a refreshing sip and went on to prepare sambal belacan, with calamansi juice. It is the best sambal belacan I have ever made here in the US, only because I found calamansi.
The calamansi peel perfumed my fingers with its exotic smell; I brought my fingers to my nose, sniffing the fruity and citrusy fragrance and aroma. It is the smell of home. I then thought about all the possibilities with calamansi: Assam Laksa with a fresh squirt of calamansi juice, check; Mee Siam, check; Ikan bakar (grilled fish with banana leaves), check; Nyonya kerabu (salad) dishes, check.
I am happy.
I found calamansi.
Island Pacific Supermarket
11481 South St. Unit D,
Cerritos, CA. 90703
Hours:
9:00 AM – 9:00 PM (Mon – Fri)
8:00 AM – 9:00 PM (Sat – Sun)
About Calamansi:
Calamansi is a variety of lime used in Southeast Asia cuisines, especially in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and the Philippines. It’s also a key ingredient in Nyonya food. Sambal belacan is only truly authentic with calamansi juice. Period.
If you haven’t tried calamansi, I can only describe it as a sort of hybrid between orange and lime. They have orange pulp but the juice is sour and tart, and there is no lime that can rival the citrusy fragrance of calamansi. I don’t know why celebrity chefs haven’t discovered the use of calamansi yet. In my opinion, it’s better than yuzu.
(Click Page 2 for the Calamansi Juice with Syrup Recipe)
Pages: 1 2
Get More Delicious Recipes Below:
Sambal Belacan
Following my recent post on sambal asparagus, I thought I would show you how to make sambal belacan from scratch–a must-have Malaysian condiment and the basic building block for many delicious Malaysian recipes. Sambal belacan consists of chilies, belacan (Malaysian shrimp paste), kalamansi lime (limau kasturi), and salt and sugar (to taste or optional). In the US, kalamansi lime is scarce…
Sambal Udang (Prawn Sambal)
If there is one dish that I can eat every day with just plain white rice, it’s probably sambal udang (prawn sambal)—a popular Malay or Nyonya prawn dish that is much-loved by many people. Made with a sambal paste and flavored with belacan (Malaysian shrimp paste), the gravy of sambal udang is best when drizzled on a serving of steaming…
Sambal Asparagus Recipe
(Gallery updated with sambal asparagus with prawns/shrimps.) Sambal is core to many signature Malaysian recipes. In its most basic composition, sambal is a condiment or chili paste made with chilies and belacan (Malaysian shrimp paste), although other ingredients such as garlic, shallots, lemongrass, galangal, etc. might be added to suit each individual recipe. Traditionally pounded with a mortar and pestle, sambal is the magic…
Sambal Tumis Sotong (Squid Sambal)
A few weeks ago, I discovered a Malay food blog, Selera Malaysia. I love Malay food as much as I love my Penang hawker food (street food), Chinese, and Nyonya food. One of the signature Malay recipes is sambal tumis or sauteed sambal, which is the building block for many mouthwatering and appetizing Malay and Nyonya dishes. Please welcome Selera…
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Wow, the limau kasturi (calamansi) look gorgeous.
Mamak, limau ais satu! hehe
Im in Calgary, Canada. Is there someone who knows where I can buy a Calamansi/ Calamondin tree or any in Canada? I was searching and I found this posts. Maybe someone can help me look for it. Thanks so much! I really wanted to plant this one rather buying it frozen or fresh that is so expensive.