Nerizza Besabe Manongdo, a local chef, has been a resident of Milpitas for the past 10 years. She and her husband, Jon, have two daughters, Zara and Sophia.
“As a family we love to cook whether it’s at home with just the four of us, or for a couple hundred people through our catering business! My family is always around when I am concocting unique recipes such as the one I present to you today,” writes Nerizza. “I am a lover of both my native cuisine, Filipino food, as well as Indian cuisine. This lead to creative efforts in bringing flavors of these two beautiful cuisines together. With that, I bring you Curry Leaf Calamansi.”
Enjoy Nerizza’s unique recipe…
CURRY LEAF CALAMANSI
by Nerizza Besabe Manongdo
It’s summer and we all need something cool to sip on as well as something healthy to keep our bodies revitalized. This unique beverage offers both! The South East Asian calamansi provides a fresh summer feel and the curry leaves packs this beverage with many health benefits including antioxidants.
INGREDIENTS
2 cups – Purified Water (room temp)
4 each – *Curry Leaves, chiffonade (thin slices)
8 each – *Fresh calamansi, squeezed or juiced
2 each – Cucumber Slices (about 1/4 inch thick), small diced
1-3 Tbls. – Sugar (your desired level of sweetness)
- In a small container combine together the water, sugar, curry leaves, freshly squeezed calamansi juice and diced cucumber. Cover and let sit in the fridge at least 2 hours. The longer it sits, the more flavorful and aromatic the juice will be.
- When ready to serve, use a sieve and place over your choice of beverage container. As you can see in the photo I used a large wine glass. Fill with ice. Pour the juice mixture through the sieve.
- Assemble your choice of garnish. I lined the wine glass rim with sugar (must do prior to pouring in beverage). With an extra calamansi, a cucumber and a few curry leaves, your beverage is nicely dressed and ready to serve. Enjoy!
*Curry leaves can be purchased at local Indian markets
*Calamansi – Ask a good friend/neighbor who has a calamansi tree!
Stay in touch with Nerizza on social media to discover more of her flavorful recipes:
