Exotic Fruits

[cmarchibald]

I moved to the Philippines about 7 months ago and now have daily access to a wide array of fresh tropical fruits. Most commonly available (year-round) are mangoes, bananas and pineapple. I can also get papaya, guava, dragon fruit, pomelo (a kind of sweet grapefruit for those who don't know), and naturally fresh ground coconut. There are others that are just variations of oranges that grow in this area.

I would love to discover some new recipes and fresh ideas for these fruits. I recently discovered a fabulous recipe for a warm mango-pineapple salsa that is DI-VINE! Makes a spectacular topping for fish, chicken and pork chops. I have also used mangoes to make cobbler (instead of peaches).

Any other ideas? I've got some mangoes and a pineapple on my kitchen counter right now that I need to use tomorrow or they'll go bad!

 

[MostlyWater]

I don't get them so I don't know. Maybe ask some locals.

 

[Lorrae]

sounds like you could make some great crisps out of those fruits! I currently make a great Strawberry Mango Crisp, and I had no idea that the combination would taste so good. I'm sure you could use the same basic recipe for other types of fruit combinations.

Also, mango makes a great glaze for salmon and pork!

 

[Claire]

My husband loves it when I can find green mangoes. When in the tropics, he just liked it sliced and then presented with salt and chili powder, mixed. Dip and eat.

I peel a green mango, then put to my mandolin. Then sugar, lime juice, a little vinegar and hot pepper. Maybe some garlic slivers. Great salad.

A scooped out papaya makes a great container for a curried chicken salad. Serve with a spoon, so you can get a spoon full of papaya with every bite of the chicken salad.

 

[cmarchibald]

My husband loves it when I can find green mangoes. When in the tropics, he just liked it sliced and then presented with salt and chili powder, mixed. Dip and eat.

I peel a green mango, then put to my mandolin. Then sugar, lime juice, a little vinegar and hot pepper. Maybe some garlic slivers. Great salad.

A scooped out papaya makes a great container for a curried chicken salad. Serve with a spoon, so you can get a spoon full of papaya with every bite of the chicken salad.

The green mango slices with salt and chili is a Thai specialty...we both had tons of that in Thailand. I hadn't thought to try and replicate it here....duh! Thanks for the reminder. I like your other ideas too!

 

[cmarchibald]

sounds like you could make some great crisps out of those fruits! I currently make a great Strawberry Mango Crisp, and I had no idea that the combination would taste so good. I'm sure you could use the same basic recipe for other types of fruit combinations.

Also, mango makes a great glaze for salmon and pork!

Strawberries are actually a bit difficult to get here, which sucks for me because I grew up in the American South where strawberries were big and juicy and PLENTIFUL in the Summertime. They do grow them in a region north of where I live but they are not very good quality.

How do you make your glaze?

 

[cmarchibald]

Mango Dream, a favourite ( :

Ingredients:
500g of mango pulp
4 plain yogurts
5 sheets gelatin


Preparation:
Soak the gelatine sheets in cold water.
Add the mango pulp to 4 yougurts
Drain the gelatin and melt it in the microwave (I usually with a little milk instead of water). Then go along to above mixture slowly and engage.
Pour into a bowl and refrigerate, an hour before eating.


Simple and great!

At the risk of exposing my ignorance....I have no idea what a gelatine sheet is or if I can get that here.

Many things that are standard in grocery stores where I come from are simply not available here.