Tangy Chamoy Fruit Spread is served on top of fruit cups and shaved ice treats at our local fruit snack stands in South Texas. Tiny, colorfully decorated huts are found on city streets and country roads. Summertime means tracking down your favorite fruit stand and visiting often.
One of the local favorite flavors is chamoy – a wildly tangy, salty sweet and spicy fruit spread incorporated into smoothies, shaved ices and poured liberally over fresh fruit. Non-locals might find the flavor overwhelming. Heir to the flavor profile of salted pickled stone fruits prepared by immigrants from China and Japan, our Texas and Mexican border fruit stands couldn’t exist without chamoy flavor.
Chamoy is a Favorite Summer Flavor
There is a daring to chamoy flavor – Just how spicy, sweet or sour can you handle it? Only the customer can answer these questions! Some like their chamoy shaved ice with extra lime juice. Some like their chamoy with pickle juice. Adding salty flavor to a sour flavor is an “acido” or acidic flavor. And yes, the flavor is truly acidic. Lovers of “acido” are usually concerned with the health of their tooth enamel, however that is another story…
Use Tangy Chamoy Fruit Spread in Fruit Smoothies and Slushies
Adding chamoy to mango and making a slushie fruit treat is makes a mangonada. A chamoyada is chamoy flavor mixed with sour tamarind. The combinations are endless!
This recipe for true chamoy flavor is mild but very customizable for your tastebuds. The base of the fruit spread – prunes and apricots – will give you the authentic pulpy texture. The natural color of dried hibiscus* gives the chamoy fruit spread its signature garnet red color. You can always add more sugar, spice or lime juice according to what you like. If you want a quick trip to the fruit cup stand this summer without leaving home, Tangy Chamoy Fruit Spread is the flavor you need!
Tangy Chamoy Fruit Spread
Ingredients
2 cups water (500ml)
½ cup dried hibiscus flowers *(20g)
6 oz dried pitted apricots (170g)
6 oz dried pitted prunes (170g)
½–1 cup sugar or to taste (100g-200g)
½ – 1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice or to taste (120ml-240ml)
1 tbsp. chile powder (8g)
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper or to taste (<1g)
¼ tsp. salt (1g – optional)
Instructions
Pour the water into a 2 qt saucepan (2lt) and bring to a simmer. Add the dried hibiscus flowers and simmer for 2-3 minutes until the water turns deeply red. Add the apricots and prunes, cover, and allow to simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Add the fruit and hibiscus tea to the container of a blender. Add ½ cup sugar and ½ cup of lime juice and the chile powders. Blend until smooth. Taste the mixture and add more sugar, lime juice or chile powder as desired. Once blended, pour the mixture into a serving container. Refrigerate after use.
Notes
*In Spanish, dried hibiscus flowers are known as flor de jamaica
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