Egyptian · Drinks

Asab

Sugarcane juice, pressed and drunk within minutes. Nothing is added and nothing can be — it oxidises so fast that the machine has to be at the counter.

Not yet ratedThis recipe has no ratings yet 10 min total Serves 4 servings Easy
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Asab — Egyptian drinks recipe, served and ready to eat

Photograph credit: Glass of sugarcane juice by Fgnievinski · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · this resized copy is shared under the same licence

Method

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  1. Peel the hard outer skin from the cane with a heavy knife and cut the pale interior into finger-length pieces.

  2. Pass them through a sugarcane press three times, feeding the crushed fibre back through each time — most of the juice comes out on the second and third pass.

  3. Without a press: blitz the chopped cane with the cold water in a powerful blender for 2 minutes, then strain hard through muslin, squeezing the fibre dry.

  4. Strain the juice through a fine sieve to remove fibre.

  5. Add the lime juice immediately — it slows the browning noticeably.

  6. Fill glasses with ice and pour.

  7. Drink within a few minutes. It will start to darken and flatten in about twenty.

Chef’s Tips

  • Lime straight away. It buys you time against oxidation.
  • Press three times — most of the yield is in the later passes.
  • There is no making this in advance.

Common Substitutions & Variations

  • Lemon is the everyday swap for lime in this kind of dish — the acidity plays the same role even though the flavour is not identical.

Pairing Suggestions

  • Hawawshi
  • Ta'ameya
  • Hot afternoons

Storage & Reheating

None. It browns within 20 minutes and is undrinkable by the next day.

Common questions

How long does Asab take to make?

About 10 minutes in total — 10 minutes of preparation and of cooking. The recipe serves 4.

What are the key tips for making Asab?

Lime straight away. It buys you time against oxidation. Press three times — most of the yield is in the later passes. There is no making this in advance.

What should I serve with Asab?

Hawawshi; Ta'ameya; Hot afternoons.

Is Asab suitable for a special diet?

This recipe is vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free and no added sugar. Those labels are checked against the ingredient list, so a dish is only marked when nothing in it contradicts the claim.

How many calories are in Asab?

About 180 kcal per serving, with 0 g protein, 45 g carbohydrate and 0 g fat. The figures are calculated from the ingredient list and are an estimate.

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.

180Calories
0gProtein
45gCarbs
0gFat
0gFibre
43gSugar
20mgSodium

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Written and tested by Turab

One person, one kitchen — no test kitchen, no team. How every recipe on this site is checked before it goes up.