Raa

Ingredients

Sap

• fresh raa, coconut palm sap

Equipment

• a clean collecting pot
• a sharp knife
• a rope or ladder for climbing

For palm honey

• the fresh sap
• a wide heavy pan

Nothing is added

• no sugar and no water

Note

• the sap begins fermenting within hours of collection

Directions

1. Strain it through a cloth to remove any insects or debris.
2. Chill it beforehand if you are able. Drink it within a few hours of collection. Pour the strained fresh sap into a wide heavy pan.
3. Use a wide pan, since surface area speeds the reduction. Bring it to a simmer over a medium heat.
4. Skim off any foam that rises at the start. Reducing it takes several hours. Simmer it steadily for two to three hours.
5. Stir it occasionally as it reduces. That darkening is caramelisation and takes time.
6. Stir it constantly through the final twenty minutes. Judging when it is done is by consistency.
7. Pour it into sterilised jars while still hot. Seal them and let them cool fully. It keeps for months because of the sugar concentration.

Technique

• Fresh sap begins fermenting within hours, which is why it is collected at dawn and drunk the same morning.
• The collecting pot must be scrupulously clean, since residue speeds fermentation enormously.
• Stir constantly through the last twenty minutes of reducing, as it catches and burns easily.

Substitutions

• Bottled palm sap or palm honey, sold in Maldivian and South Asian shops.
• There is no substitute for genuinely fresh sap.

Variations

• Drunk fresh at dawn.
• Boiled into dhiyaa hakuru, palm honey.
• Boiled further into solid palm sugar.

History

Tapped from the crown of the coconut palm; alcohol is banned for Maldivians, so raa is drunk fresh and also boiled into palm honey.

Frequently asked questions

What is Raa?

Raa is a drink from Maldives: sweet coconut palm sap tapped fresh at dawn and drunk before it ferments. Tapped from the crown of the coconut palm; alcohol is banned for Maldivians, so raa is drunk fresh and also boiled into palm honey.

How long does Raa take to make?

Raa takes 30 min of preparation and none, or 3 hours for palm honey of cooking. The recipe makes varies with the tapping. It is rated hard to make.

What can I substitute in Raa?

Yes, within limits. Bottled palm sap or palm honey, sold in Maldivian and South Asian shops. There is no substitute for genuinely fresh sap.

What is the most important thing to get right in Raa?

Fresh sap begins fermenting within hours, which is why it is collected at dawn and drunk the same morning.