When we go to the Phoenix area, we always make a pilgrimage to the H Mart in Mesa. Last time I got three 7" stalks of sugar cane, before I realized I didn’t know what to do with it other than trying to plant it and see if it sprouted, or using it as a skewer for the dim sum style shrimp skewer dish, which I probably won’t do.
What are some things I can do with it?
When we were little we would get sugarcane and sit on the curb and naw on it and suck the sweet juice out of it. A Florida thing
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Not a bad idea!
Not sure what I’d do with it… but I’d sure like to try. (c;
Google might be your friend here
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Is this what you mean by the shrimp dish? If not, maybe this!
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That’s the only sugar cane dish I’ve tried.
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I’d forgotten all about it 'til this post, and I LOVE it, and now I need to find some.
I would imagine you could juice it, also, and use it in iced tea or cocktails or what have you.
Also an island thing! At least Carribean Islands and Brooklyn.
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You cant juice it…it’s like trying to juice firewood. Its juiced by crushing it in rollers.
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Is it peeled? Can you upload a pic?
If it’s not peeled, you’re out of luck.
If it’s peeled, the suggestions below work.
To suck on it, it’s easier to cut into 1” pieces (use your heaviest knife, carefully cut across into small cylinders with sawing motion) .
Then chew to suck out the juice (and spit out the “straw when it’s spent). Messy but immensely delicious and gratifying - I taught my nephews now to do this one Christmas break, amd now they demand sugarcane whenever they’re visiting their grandparents in India 
If it’s peeled you can also use it for sugarcane shrimp or cocktail sticks (mojitos usually come with them) - you’ll need to cut it into 4-5” x 1/2” batons for that. (Though I’ve always thought sugarcane shrimp was a waste of sugarcane )
I wouldn’t juice it at home - though if it’s peeled and chopped, a vitamix or other heavy duty blender might be able to do it. But maybe you’ll destroy the blades, I don’t know - try Google or YouTube to see if anyone has gone down this path. (The juicer with roller-pressers takes unpeeled sugarcane in.)
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Oh, okay. Thanks for the info.
I really, really miss that and the rest of the offerings at the only dim sum restaurant on my side of town. But then I remembered that the Vietnamese restaurant around the corner has it on their menu. Gotta get some, and also make it, Thanks for the recipe!
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It doesn’t look like it’s peeled, but it may be. I’ll pull it out of the package tomorrow and mess with it.
And try to peel it if it isn’t already. I appreciate the instructions for gnawing on it!
You’re welcome! Looking forward to your reporting back, if you make it.
I have never known anyone to peel it at home - it has a hard bark on the outside.
So my guess is it’s already peeled.
Sugarcane also dries out over time, so it’s better to use it soon after purchase.
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Update-
I got a wild hair and brought out the cleaver. The sugar cane was getting old, so I worked out my rage and cut it into pieces on either side of the joints, cut off the moldy end or two and followed it down, pulling out the dark streaks where it appeared to run down.
This is kind of anticlimactic, but once I got it chopped up and quartered lengthwise, I put it into a glass and poured in some nice sugary tasting rum. I think it’s the best combination of drinks and dessert that I can imagine. Except for brandy alexanders.
Throwing myself at your collective mercy-
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Yes, we did this was kids too. My mom would but a short stick, and hack this into about 5-6 inch portions. She hacked off the thick bark and my sister’s and I would just chew and gnaw on it for the juice.
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Thanks for this! I didn’t realize that Saveur was still in business. I had a gift subscription for several years until they quit printing the magazine and substituted Magnolia, which is a real snoozefest IMO.
Anyway, I’m going to sign up for the newsletters.
And maybe someday I’ll find more sugarcane to experiment with
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