Salted Dried Plum (Asam boi/ 酸梅)

I always have a stash of sour plum in my kitchen. It’s like a habit; my mother always have a stash hidden in the kitchen and I felt it’s something I must keep. It’s much like a Firstaid kit; a must-have at home. She would offer me a piece right after I swallow bitter cough syrup and I would gladly pop it into my mouth. The sour, salty and tart taste really does a good job to wash away the horrible aftertaste of medicine. Sour plum, to me, was like a lifesaver. Nowadays, I mainly use it to flavour drinks and occasionally bring it along to trips incase anyone feel nauseous from motion sickness.

Taste

This preserve fruit is made by drying plum with sugar and salt. It is then flavoured with herbs like liquorice. There are many types of dried sour plum, some saltier and some sweeter than others. But generally, this little plum is packed with flavour. Some are so intense that you can’t eat it on its own, and is more suitable to make beverage with it.

Other names

• English name: Sour plum
• Malay name: Asam boi
• Chinese name: Suen Mui (酸梅)

Recipes

• Passion Fruit & Plum Drink