Sometimes it's hard to stay true to the little grain of rice. Because nature gives us so many wonderful foods, some of which have so far remained undiscovered or unfairly have a shadowy existence on local menus.
One of these products is Lotao Java Kiss – a coconut blossom sugar that I was able to discover in Indonesia. Since it is also very suitable for sweetening rice dishes, I couldn't resist. Together with my rice varieties, I now import Java Kiss directly from the country of origin. But what makes this sugar so special that it deserves an entry in the “Rice Blog”?
Java Kiss coconut blossom sugar
The sugar is obtained directly from the nectar of the coconut blossom : after the juice has been taken from the blossom, it is stirred in a wooden kettle for four hours. This is how Java Kiss gets its fine crystalline structure and its gentle, characteristic caramel aroma . Due to the complex manufacturing process, each farmer can only produce two kilograms of sugar per day !
Coconut blossom sugar has a very low melting point , meaning it literally melts in your mouth. It is therefore also very suitable for sweetening drinks, desserts, making chocolates and pastries and can be used 1:1 as a “healthy” sugar substitute. For everyone who is now curious about how the sugar is actually obtained, here is a video from Anne Welsing, who was with me in Indonesia and filmed the production: Coconut blossom sugar production JAVA KISS is rich in valuable vitamins and trace elements, has a very low glycemic index (=35, comparison: industrial sugar=68) and, thanks to its low melting point, is perfect for sweetening drinks and pastries.
More information about JAVA KISS is available in our shop at www.lotao.com Anne Welsing is a freelance journalist and filmmaker and lives in Dormagen-Zons near Cologne. She accompanied me on my last rice trip and not only shot the sugar film, but also took wonderful photos of the rice fields. Dear Anne, at this point I would like to say a big THANK YOU for the wonderful time... Further films and photos by Anne Welsing can be found at http://www.anne-welsing.de/mediathek.html .
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