Yes, it is a mangosteen (mahng-koot). You may have seen the juice of mangosteen appear on health-food stores shelves - 'it's the new pomegranate', I read somewhere in a London health magazine. But in SE Asia it is known as the 'Queen of Fruits'and I understand why.
The flavour is oh-so sweet and the texture is soft and buttery, it just melts in your mouth. It is the size of a mandarin, with a purple, leathery skin; beneath the skin is another protective coating, a deep red peachy flesh that conceals the edible fruit which looks almost like a small garlic bulb in size and shape.
How to open a mangosteen? Well dig your thumb into the leathery skin and then twist a little and peel off, revealing some of the white bulb, you can continue peeling but its best just to pry it free with your mouth, since they are so juicy. Don't forget to remove the small blak seed the shape of an almond. They are easy to lose in all that sweetness.
I could see mangosteen working with roast pork chops and, instead of the traditional apple sauce or caramelised pears, you could use a few slivers of mangosteen. You should be able to purchase these at your local Asian food market.
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2 comments:
Of the durian: "Despite its great local popularity, the raw fruit is forbidden from some establishments such as hotels, subways and airports, including public transportation in Southeast Asia". Now that's a fruit!
Truly the "king of fruits" in fact it seems. And apparently it's used in loads of dishes so here's me standing all corrected.
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