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Two bottles of Dragon Fruit Enzymes and a bowl of Dragon Fruit “Jam”

A small cup consisting of 2 to 3 tablespoons of Dragon Fruit Enzyme, mixed with water.

To be had first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach for better absorption.

(Please read the comments below for feedback on my family’s health after we started drinking this)

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Good evening, dear friends

Ah, finally…. I am posting my recipe for making enzymes for drinking. All thanks go to my blog visitor, Jessica, who so graciously shared with me her recipe for making drinking enzymes at Comment # 14 at my cleaning enzyme post HERE .

I did some reading over the Internet to find out more on drinking enzymes .

Some links with good information, recipes and tips on fruit enzymes :-

1) here,  from e-How

2) here, from Leah’s Cafe

3) here, from Penang-Island

4) here, from Cooking Momster - this site has some background on a Chinese recipe for fruit enzymes using “San Cha” used to make Haw Flakes. There are some interesting recipes there as well as the benefits of the various fruit enzymes.

Different sites have different information on the recipes – like how much fruit in proportion to sugar/honey, when to shake the enzyme during fermentation, how long to wait before harvesting enzyme (period ranges from 2 weeks to 6 months), and how to take the fruit enzyme for health.  So, I would suggest that you gather as much information as you like on the Internet before you start making your own enzymes.

In general, it was reported that drinking fruit enzymes improves our vitality, ensures regularity in our bowel system, aids in digestion and enhances body absorption of nutrtients.

Initially, I was going to buy a large glass jar to prepare the enzyme in, but at the last minute, I decided that I would just use the inner pot of my slow cooker  - the reason being, I didn’t know how much of liquid enzyme would be yielded and I wanted to get the size of the jar right.

I had used my crockpot to prepare the enzyme. My fruits all layered with the last topping being lemon and sugar. After that, I poured in 1 cup of apple cider and 1 cup of Australian honey

I covered my crockpot with the glass lid and a piece of aluminium to keep out the light. Beside it is a new glass jar that I had bought to prepare more Fruit Enzyme the next time.

Some tips to share with you :-

1. make sure that the fruits, chopping board and knives are completely dry as even a drop of water can spoil the enzyme. I washed them thoroughly and left them to dry overnight. But, if you are rushed for time or you find that your items are not 100% dry, do like what Jessica does – she uses a hairdryer!
2. as you cut your fruits, it is best to place them straight in the jar – this is to ensure that the fruits are not contaminated or exposed to fruit flies
3. you have to use a glass jar for safety reasons because we are going to drink this enzyme.  If plastic bottles are used instead, it is feared that the fermentation process may leech out some unhealthy stuff used to make the plastic bottles
4. the fruit enzyme needs a dark, cool place to ferment. You can also wrap a piece of aluminium foil or an old t-shirt or cloth around the glass jar
5. shake or stir the fruits often to prevent build-up of a whitish mould at the surface. Don’t worry, the mould is safe and is a sign that fermentation is well underway.
6. if black spots or black moulds are seen, it would mean that the fruit enzyme is contaminated. Some people recommended that the black moulds be scooped out and the fruits left to ferment further. For me, I would prefer to throw the whole batch away and start a new one, for fear of food poisoning  from the contamination.
7. upon harvest, pour the liquid enzyme into old, clean wine bottles. The leftover fruit can be used as jams, or it can be fermented further to be used as a facial wash or plant fertiliser. I gave half of my fermented fruit to a friend, and the other one is kept in the fridge to eat as a jam with my toasts.

This is my one day old Fruit Enzyme

Because 2 of my dragon fruits were over-ripe and there were some worms inside (I am terrified of worms ), I had a paranoia that my other fruits may have eggs that will turn into worms! So, I decided at the last step of the preparation to add 1 cup of apple cider (I thought that should kill anything inside and of course, I had thrown away the worm infested fruits!) and for added fragrance and to cut down the sugar level, I replaced one cup of sugar with Australian honey.

I had read that the apple cider will speed up the fermentation process, and that was also another reason that I added the apple cider.

This is after a week – there is more liquid produced and there is some white bubbles on the surface – a sign of fermentation in progress

My Dragon Fruit Enzyme ready to be harvested – 2 weeks after preparation

My Dragon Fruit Recipe

3 kilos or 6 1/2 pounds of Pink Dragon Fruit

8 lemons

1 kilo or 1 3/4 pounds slabs of brown sugar (or loose brown sugar)

1 cup apple cider

1 cup honey

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Method

Remove skins and cut to slices about 1 cm or 1/2 inch thick

Arrange dragon fruit starting at the bottom, alternating with slices of lemon and sugar

The last layer at the top must be sugar

Pour apple cider and honey over everything

Cover and keep for 2 weeks, shaking gently the contents in the first few days, and stirring thereafter occasionally

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The fruit enzyme was harvested exactly 2 weeks after preparation and there was just enough to fill 2 wine bottles. Half a bottle was consumed immediately for a few days, while the rest will be left for a further duration until 4 to 6 months, with a taste test at every 2 weeks.

In a few days, my enzyme will be exactly 1 month old, and I will see how the taste goes.  A website had mentioned that the ph of the enzyme improves over time, especially after 4 months. I’m not sure exactly what that meant and I just assume that the enzyme will not be so acidic after a longer period. I guess it is like wine, which tastes better over time!

Also, new enzymes are more alcoholic in nature and some websites do not recommend that the enzyme be consumed at this stage because the alcohol is not good on the liver. My opinion is the new enzyme should be fine for consumption as we are not drinking large amounts of it enough to damage our liver. We are just having 2 to 3 tablespoons a day as a tonic for our health.

The 2-week old fruit enzyme tasted like a mild apple cider mixed with alcohol, with a hint of apple cider and honey. My children hated the taste of it and I had to tell them to pretend that it was Ribena! Anyway, they never liked apple cider either!

It is best to drink the enzyme first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, rest for half an hour before taking breakfast. I mixed the enzyme with  2 times its amount of room temperature water. For me and my second daughter, the dragon fruit enzyme tasted absolutely delicious – like a fruity wine! It didn’t smell bad or rotten at all as I had thought it to be.

The period that we consumed the dragon fruit enzyme (5 days all in) was too short to notice any significant improvement in our vitality and health. But all of us reported easier and better bowel movements, as if the enzyme is removing toxins faster from our bodies. Another reason why I stopped drinking the enzymes after 5 days was because I developed a mild food poisoning from eating some bad curry at a mamak shop. My husband and second daughter continued to take until 1 week and they didn’t report and adverse side effects in their health.

In summary, I would definitely recommend to everyone that they should try to make some fruit enzymes to drink. I think the enzymes will do more good than harm. I have seen some stalls at the TTDI pasar (markets) selling the homemade dragon fruit enzyme for RM39 (USD10) for a 750ml bottle. My cost was only half of that and by making my own enzyme, I can be sure that I use good quality fruits and there is hygiene in preparing them.

My next post will be how to make our own rice enzyme for washing dishes. A friend gave me a bottle to try and it is really effective in cutting grease!

Do have a lovely week ahead!

With best wishes for good health,

choesf