Homemade Rozelle Syrup....

Last week I went to my kampung in Muar... and as usual I must pay a visit to the local market Pasar Parit Jawa, located about 8km from my house. Living in city like Jakarta or Kuala Lumpur, the meaning of sweet fresh fish or seafood is seem non existence... although there's a few places here where you can get decent fresh seafood supply.... Actually I am quite sceptical on the freshness, is it really fresh..... or any additional substances added ...such as formalin....

I was looking for ikan mayong, a not so far cousin of seawater catfish... For me and most Muar people, this is one of the best fish for asam pedas Muar style.... although some people may say, ikan pari (stingray) or ikan parang is better.... for me, ikan mayong is among the best....(almost same ranking with ikan sembilang).... especially the fish head....deliciously succulent, combined with the aroma and smooth taste of daum kesum...(Vietnamese coriander)

I remember when I was little boy, my late father used to buy ikan mayong as our routine source of protein.... that time the size was generous, almost half of my height...whenever we had fish dishes, 80% would be the mayong. Until there were times we all could not bear the taste. I did asked my mother about this.. why this fish became our family main menu... the answer was simple... mayong fish was among the cheapest during that time. Now I understand, to raise and feed 9 children's with income as rubber tapper....taste was non priority....

But don't be surprise today if you couldn't buy the fish at the local market..... the asam pedas restaurant and food stall have already book the fish,.... in fulfilling the local and outsider taste....And the price is not cheap now....

While looking for the fish, I noticed a stalls selling buah ribena (Rozelle) .... and the stall owner advertised that this Rozelle is good for syrup making.. I bought a few kilos. 

We firstly clean the Rozelle's fruits or flowers. Soaked in clean water and washed a few times..... separates the petals and the seed inside.....boiled together with water over a medium slow flame and add sugar slowly to add sweet taste. The raw taste is pure sour.......Boil until the syrup thicken and the taste is balanced, between sour and sweet. Put off the flame, and let it cool down. Sift the syrup and store the liquid inside bottle or any container..... the petals can be eaten directly and taste like preserved fruit....

Not much story about Rozelle syrup.... more story about mayong.....