Umeboshi Calamansi Lime Juice

Umeboshi calamansi lime juice is a refreshing drink popular in Asia, made with calamansi limes and sour plums aka umeboshi over ice.

Back in February of this year, I went to my Costco and discovered several pallets of citrus trees right outside the front door. To my absolute amazement, one of them was a calamansi lime! The tag had a different name and the peels were orange instead of green, but I’d know that aroma anywhere after living in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia for a combined total of 13 or 14 years.

There were only a few left so I did not hesitate and put one in my shopping cart right away. Then a funny thing happened. I was stopped repeatedly by other customers as I did the rest of my shopping, wanting to know where I’d found the tree! Apparently, there were none left up front. One Asian woman even questioned why I needed it. I guess she was hoping I’d hand it over? Who knows!

Anyhoo, I planted the baby in the ground in my backyard and it rewarded me with a decent crop of little limes, as seen below. Crossing my fingers it will do the same again in the next few months. 

Depending on the country, this delicious drink is called different names. In Malaysia where I ordered it often, it’s known as limau kasturi asam boi or usually just limau asam boi, but it’s always made with calamansi or kasturi limes. 

And for those who are curious, normal green limes are called limau nipis in Malay. Just limau means lemon. 

Umeboshi Calamansi Lime Juice

If you aren’t fortunate enough to be able to source the calamansi limes you can make this with regular ones (skip blending the peels!) but you’ll need more sugar to counterbalance the tartness of the juice. 

Ingredients to serve two:

2 teaspoons sugar

6 calamansi limes

2 umeboshi or dried sour plums

Ice cubes

Method

Add 1 teaspoon sugar and one sour plum into each glass. Pour in 1/4 cup or 60ml hot water in each to dissolve the sugar and steep the sour plums.

Wash the limes and cut them in half. 

Remove the seeds and squeeze the juice into a large measuring cup or bowl.

Use a metal straw or spoon to mash the plums in the glasses a little. 

In a blender or food processor, blend the lime peels with 2 tablespoons of the squeezed juice.  

Strain through a sieve into your measuring cup or bowl, pressing gently with a spoon to get all the juice out. Discard the peels. 

Divide the juice between the glasses and add ice cubes.

Enjoy! 

Welcome to the 21th edition of Alphabet Challenge 2025, brought to you by the letter U. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for organizing and creating the challenge. Check out all the U recipes below:

• Jolene’s Recipe Journal: Upside Down Bacon Pancake
• Food Lust People Love: Umeboshi Calamansi Lime Juice
• Sneha’s Recipe: Upside Down Apricot Bundt
• A Messy Kitchen: Apple Bourbon Upside Down Cakeu
• Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Ube Pandesal
• Blogghetti: Jumbo Upside Down Pineapple Muffins
• Mayuri’s Jikoni: Udon Noodle Salad
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Black Forest Upside Down Cake
• Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice: Chunky Pumpkin Ancho Unsweetened Cocoa Chili

Here are my posts for the 2025 alphabet challenge, thus far:

A: Roasted Asparagus Soup

B: Blistered Sugar Snap Peas

C. Jersey Royal Chicken Chorizo Traybake 

D. Small Batch Dried Apricot Jam 

E. Whipped Espresso Cream 

F. Fish Sauce Roasted Chicken 

G. Extra Herby Gremolata 

H. Smoked Herring Spread 

I.  Fresh Cherry Ice Cream 

J. Small Batch Strawberry Jam 

K. Kiwi Tomato Feta Salad 

L. Lobster Butter 

M. Milk-Roasted Chicken 

N. Nocciolata Swirl Meringues 

O. Jersey Octopus Ceviche 

P. Easy Pastina Soup 

Q. Shrimp and Quail Egg Garden Salad 

R. Celeriac Mash with Scallop Roe Butter 

S. Fresh Scallop Sashimi 

T. Roasted Chicken Thighs with Stuffing 

U. Umeboshi Calamansi Lime Juice– this post! 

Pin this Umeboshi Calamansi Lime Juice!

.

Roasted Chicken Thighs with Stuffing

These succulent roasted chicken thighs are baked on top of the stuffing, so it gets basted with chicken juice while the chicken turns golden. Divine. 

This is a dish that I make when I’m tired of the typical starchy sides of rice, potatoes and pasta. A lot of people only think of stuffing only when it’s turkey time but, boy, howdy, it goes so well with chicken! You don't have to wait for Thanksgiving or Christmas to make stuffing. Really. Don't wait. Life is too short. 

This is a family favorite for us, all year round. I hope it will be one of yours too.

Roasted Chicken Thighs with Stuffing

I have no idea where they got to but I either didn’t take photos of making the stuffing or I have somehow misplaced them. It’s pretty easy though and basically the same instructions as my regular bread dressing recipe, which does have photos, here: Buttery Baked Bread Dressing  But any questions, please leave me a comment and I will endeavor to respond promptly!

Ingredients

For the chicken:

4 chicken thighs, boneless, skin on

fine sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

cayenne

poultry seasoning

olive oil for drizzling on before baking

For the stuffing:

6 slices sandwich bread, cubed

1 small onion, diced

2 ribs celery, diced

2 tablespoons butter, plus extra for the casserole dish

fine sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons poultry seasoning

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1 cup or 240ml chicken stock

Optional garnish: chopped parsley

Method

Season the chicken thighs with a generous sprinkle of salt, pepper, cayenne and poultry seasonings. Set aside. 

In a large pan, melt the butter over medium heat and cook the onions and celery until they are soft and translucent, stirring occasionally. Add a good pinch of salt, a few grinds of black pepper, along with the poultry seasoning and cayenne.

 

Set your oven to preheat at 350°F or 180°C and butter your favorite casserole dish.

 

Put the bread cubes in a large mixing bowl and pour the seasoned buttery celery and onions over them. Use two spoons like salad tongs to toss and combine.

 

Add the stock and toss again to combine.

 

Check for seasoning and stir in more salt and pepper as needed. Depending on the saltiness of your stock, you might not need much (or any) salt.

 

Pour the mixture into your buttered casserole dish and nestle the seasoned chicken thighs skin side up on top of the stuffing. Spread the skin out so it can all get crispy. This is one of the best parts!

Give it a drizzle of olive oil. 

Bake in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes or until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through. If it starts to brown too much before it’s cooked, you can cover the baking dish with foil. 

Remove from the oven and serve hot. Garnish with chopped parsley, if desired.

Enjoy! 

Welcome to the 20th edition of Alphabet Challenge 2025, brought to you by the letter T. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for organizing and creating the challenge. Check out all the T recipes below:

• Jolene’s Recipe Journal: Tomato Tortellini Soup
• Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Tangerine Ricotta Cookies
• Food Lust People Love: Roasted Chicken Thighs with Stuffing
• A Messy Kitchen: Blueberry Buckle Tassies
• Sneha’s Recipe: Thakkali Chammanthi /Tomato Chutney
• Palatable Pastime: Pass Around Macaroni and Tomatoes
• Blogghetti: Thanksgiving Turkey Veggie Platter
• Culinary Cam: Bitter Orange and Blackberry Thumbprint Cookies
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Michigan End of Summer Harvest Salad
• Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice: Budget-Friendly Chunky Potato Soup with Thyme
• Mayuri’s Jikoni: Mini Taco Salad Cups

Here are my posts for the 2025 alphabet challenge, thus far:

A: Roasted Asparagus Soup

B: Blistered Sugar Snap Peas

C. Jersey Royal Chicken Chorizo Traybake 

D. Small Batch Dried Apricot Jam 

E. Whipped Espresso Cream 

F. Fish Sauce Roasted Chicken 

G. Extra Herby Gremolata 

H. Smoked Herring Spread 

I.  Fresh Cherry Ice Cream 

J. Small Batch Strawberry Jam 

K. Kiwi Tomato Feta Salad 

L. Lobster Butter 

M. Milk-Roasted Chicken 

N. Nocciolata Swirl Meringues 

O. Jersey Octopus Ceviche 

P. Easy Pastina Soup 

Q. Shrimp and Quail Egg Garden Salad 

R. Celeriac Mash with Scallop Roe Butter 

S. Fresh Scallop Sashimi 

T. Roasted Chicken Thighs with Stuffing – this post! 

Pin these Roasted Chicken Thighs with Stuffing! 

.

Fresh Scallop Sashimi

More a method than a recipe, this fresh scallop sashimi is easy to make with a little cling film, time in a freezer and a sharp knife. 

Back in our Dubai days, before my husband retired, he traveled a lot. I wasn’t alone since our wonderful Boxer boy was still around but I did miss him. One perk though was that with all those miles in the air, he earned platinum status on Emirates Airline, which gave us access to the Emirates first class lounge. 

The first class lounge had a fabulous menu of delicious items we loved, like the wild mushroom soup. I ordered that every time, that is, until they added a sushi bar. Manned by Japanese sushi chefs, items were made to order from the freshest of ingredients, flown in from Japan. It was heaven. 

Our favorite thing was fresh scallop sashimi, something we had never tried before in a regular Japanese restaurant, and we were hooked. 

Now, whenever we are able to buy hand-dived scallops, I always make at least one batch into sashimi. 

Fresh Scallop Sashimi

You can make this with as few or as many fresh scallops as you can get your hands on. You will also need a good freezer and cling film. You can fry up the roe with butter and a little garlic and salt or use them in another recipe, like my celeriac mash with scallop roe butter. 

Ingredients

Hand-dived scallops

Cling film

Freezer space

Time

To serve: wasabi and soy sauce 

Method

Remove the roe from the scallops and trim off the “foot” which is the little tough bit that holds the scallop to its shell and discard.

Stretch a piece of cling film out on a clean work surface and line the scallops up side by side on their long side. 

Roll the cling film up as snugly as possible to push the scallops into a cylindrical shape. 

Chill in the freezer until just about frozen. (You can also leave them in for a couple of days, just remove and leave to thaw slightly before continuing.)

Remove from the freezer and use your hands to roll and press the scallops to make them even more cylindrical. Imagine you are making a long sausage out of dough. 

Slice one at a time with sharp knife into thick circles. 

Place single file on a serving plate. Leave to thaw completely then serve with a dollop of wasabi paste mixed in to soy sauce for dipping. 

Enjoy! 

Welcome to the 19th edition of Alphabet Challenge 2025, brought to you by the letter S. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for organizing and creating the challenge. Check out all the S recipes below:

• Jolene’s Recipe Journal: Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothies 
• Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Sourdough Focaccia 
• A Messy Kitchen: Marionberry Lavender Chiffon Cake 
• Blogghetti: Spinach and Cheese Crescent Rolls 
• Sneha’s Recipe: Spicy Peas 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Semitas 
• Food Lust People Love: Fresh Scallop Sashimi 
• Culinary Cam: Semifreddo al Miele 
• Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice: Weeknight Sweet Italian Sausage Gravy with Beer 
• Magical Ingredients: Shahi Paneer Dip
• Palatable Pastime: Seasoned Baked Chicken Legs
• Mayuri’s Jikoni: Chermoula Sweet Potato Salad

Here are my posts for the 2025 alphabet challenge, thus far:

A: Roasted Asparagus Soup

B: Blistered Sugar Snap Peas

C. Jersey Royal Chicken Chorizo Traybake 

D. Small Batch Dried Apricot Jam 

E. Whipped Espresso Cream 

F. Fish Sauce Roasted Chicken 

G. Extra Herby Gremolata 

H. Smoked Herring Spread 

I.  Fresh Cherry Ice Cream 

J. Small Batch Strawberry Jam 

K. Kiwi Tomato Feta Salad 

L. Lobster Butter 

M. Milk-Roasted Chicken 

N. Nocciolata Swirl Meringues 

O. Jersey Octopus Ceviche 

P. Easy Pastina Soup 

Q. Shrimp and Quail Egg Garden Salad 

R. Celeriac Mash with Scallop Roe Butter 

S. Fresh Scallop Sashimi – this post! 

Pin this Fresh Scallop Sashimi!

.

 

Celeriac Mash with Scallop Roe Butter

Celeriac Mash with Scallop Roe Butter is a delightfully fluffy side dish where nutty, celery-flavored celeriac combines beautifully with gorgeously buttery coral scallop roe.

It’s not a pretty vegetable – in fact, some would say it’s downright ugly - and perhaps that’s why celeriac is underrated. I like to use it in soups where it adds a delightfully subtle celery flavor and welcome creaminess, especially when pureed. 

But celeriac really shines when you mash it. It becomes fluffy and light, the perfect side dish to serve with any meal. 

As for the scallop roe, I know some people cook and eat them along with the scallops but I am not a fan of their texture. This recipe takes advantage of their wonderful flavor to "season" the celeriac and solves my texture issues.

Celeriac Mash with Scallop Roe Butter

If you can’t find celeriac where you live (looking at you, most US grocery stores!) you can certainly make this with your favorite potatoes. 

Ingredients

About 1 dozen scallop roe (1 3/4 oz or 50g)

1 3/4 oz or 50g butter, divided

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 celeriac - about 1.1 lb or 500g, before peeling

Fine sea salt

Ground white pepper

Optional for garnish: parsley. 

Method

Clean the scallop roe and cut off any dark or unsavory looking bits. I use only the coral-colored bits. 

Pan-fry the roe in a little of the butter for 2-3 minutes, stirring and flipping them as you cook.

Remove from the heat and transfer to a small bowl to cool, along with any butter in the pan. Use a silicone or rubber spatula and don't leave anything behind!

Add the lemon juice and cool water to a suitable sized pot in which to boil the celeriac. Use a sharp knife to cut the peel off of the celeriac and cut it into chunks. 

Add them to the lemon water as you cut them to stop them turning brown. 

When all of the celeriac is cut, drain the lemon water and refill the pot with fresh water to cover. Add 1 teaspoon fine sea salt. 

Bring to the boil and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15-20 minutes or until a knife easily slices through the chunks.

While the celeriac cooks, add the rest of the butter to a small food processor along with the cooled roe. 

Process until smooth. Set aside.

Drain the water and return the celeriac to the pan and mash until smooth. 

Add in the scallop roe butter and stir well to combine. 

Season to taste with fine sea salt and white pepper.

 Garnish in a serving bowl with a little parsley, if desired. 

I served this with seared scallops and a small tomato and onion salad. 

Enjoy!

Welcome to the 18th edition of Alphabet Challenge 2025, brought to you by the letter R. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for organizing and creating the challenge. Check out all the R recipes below:

• Food Lust People Love: Celeriac Mash with Scallop Roe Butter 
• Sneha’s Recipe: Homemade Roasted Tomato Sauce - Keto 
• A Messy Kitchen: Self-Saucing Rhubarb Pudding Cake 
• Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Caprese Ricotta Toast 
• Jolene’s Recipe Journal: Rosemary Roasted Red Potatoes 
• Mayuri’s Jikoni: Rosolli, Finnish Salad 
• Blogghetti: Shrimp Fried Rice 
• Magical Ingredients: Ricotta Red Pepper Dip 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Rustic Rye Sourdough Loaf 
• Palatable Pastime: Red Hot Pepper Vinegar 
• Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice: Cinnamon Raisin Vanilla Zucchini Bread Muffins

Here are my posts for the 2025 alphabet challenge, thus far:

A: Roasted Asparagus Soup

B: Blistered Sugar Snap Peas

C. Jersey Royal Chicken Chorizo Traybake 

D. Small Batch Dried Apricot Jam 

E. Whipped Espresso Cream 

F. Fish Sauce Roasted Chicken 

G. Extra Herby Gremolata 

H. Smoked Herring Spread 

I.  Fresh Cherry Ice Cream 

J. Small Batch Strawberry Jam 

K. Kiwi Tomato Feta Salad 

L. Lobster Butter 

M. Milk-Roasted Chicken 

N. Nocciolata Swirl Meringues 

O. Jersey Octopus Ceviche 

P. Easy Pastina Soup 

Q. Shrimp and Quail Egg Garden Salad 

R. Celeriac Mash with Scallop Roe Butter – this post! 

Pin this Celeriac Mash with Scallop Roe Butter!

.

 

Shrimp and Quail Egg Garden Salad

A delightfully fresh dish for summer, this shrimp and quail egg garden salad make a lovely lunch for two by itself or side dish for a potluck or barbecue. 

Since I was a child, I’ve loved quail eggs. Hardboiled with a spicy mayo dipping sauce, they are the perfect picnic food. But they are also very versatile and an easy, tasty, bite-sized way to add protein to a meal. 

If you are also a fan of quail eggs, you might want to check out a few of my recipes that feature them. 

• Spicy Sweet Soy Eggplant Tofu Quail Egg Stir-fry
• Scotch Quail Eggs
• Malaysian-style Curry Laksa 
• Deviled Quail Egg Shrimp Canapés 

Shrimp and Quail Egg Garden Salad

I happened to have some blood oranges in my fruit drawer so I used them in the salad and the dressing. Substitute regular oranges, mandarins or even tangerines if you don’t. 

Ingredients to serve two for lunch

For the dressing: 

1/4 cup or 60ml olive oil

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1/4 teaspoon mustard powder

Freshly ground black pepper

3 oz or 85g crumbled feta

For the salad:

1/2 heart of romaine

1 heirloom or summer tomato

1 orange

10-12 cold boiled shrimp, peeled, tails intact

10-12 hardboiled quail eggs, peeled and halved

2 green onions, green part only, sliced

Method

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil, orange juice and vinegar along with the mustard powder and black pepper. 

Add in the crumbled feta and stir. Set aside until ready to serve. Chill if it will be a while.

Wash and spin your lettuce leaves. Trim any hard ends and discard. Rip the rest into bite size pieces and spread them around on your serving plate. Cut the tomato into wedges and add them to the lettuce.

Peel the orange and cut it into bite-sized pieces. 

Scatter them among the tomatoes, along with the shrimp and halved quail eggs. 

Sprinkle on the sliced green onions. Give the dressing another good stir then serve it alongside the salad so each person can dress their own (especially if you think there might be leftovers) or spoon the dressing over the salad and serve.

Enjoy! 

Welcome to the 17th edition of Alphabet Challenge 2025, brought to you by the letter Q. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for organizing and creating the challenge. Check out all the Q recipes below:

• Food Lust People Love: Shrimp and Quail Egg Garden Salad 
• Sneha’s Recipe: Quinoa Idli 
• Jolene’s Recipe Journal: Blueberry Banana Quick Bread 
• Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Sourdough Quinoa Bread 
• A Messy Kitchen: Roasted Cauliflower Quiche 
• Mayuri’s Jikoni: Nectarine Quinoa Salad 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Shrimp Fajita Quesadillas 
• Magical Ingredients: Queso Dip 
• Culinary Cam: Quince Sharlotka 
• Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice: Parmesan Potato & Zucchini Crustless Quiche 
• Blogghetti: Ham and Broccoli Quiche

Here are my posts for the 2025 alphabet challenge, thus far:

A: Roasted Asparagus Soup

B: Blistered Sugar Snap Peas

C. Jersey Royal Chicken Chorizo Traybake 

D. Small Batch Dried Apricot Jam 

E. Whipped Espresso Cream 

F. Fish Sauce Roasted Chicken 

G. Extra Herby Gremolata 

H. Smoked Herring Spread 

I.  Fresh Cherry Ice Cream 

J. Small Batch Strawberry Jam 

K. Kiwi Tomato Feta Salad 

L. Lobster Butter 

M. Milk-Roasted Chicken 

N. Nocciolata Swirl Meringues 

O. Jersey Octopus Ceviche 

P. Easy Pastina Soup 

Q. Shrimp and Quail Egg Garden Salad – this post! 

Pin this Shrimp and Quail Egg Garden Salad!

.