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By clare, January 9, 2011

Salaks

ORIGIN

Salak, sometimes also called snake-skin or snake fruit because the skin resembles snake leather in appearance, is the fruit of a range of closely related and very spiny palms.  Salak (Salacca zalacca) is a species of palm tree of the family Arecaceae and is native to Indonesia. The variety available in Bali is widely held as being the most appetising.

I recently obtained some fruit from the Cape Trib Exotic Fruit Farm to experiment with their uses.  Salaks have a lovely flavour somewhere between passionfruit, banana and pineapple to my palate.

PREPARATION

Despite their almost fearsome looking skin, salaks are very easy to peel.  Simply push the tip sideways and the skin will break open, and from there it is easy to peel them.  If the tip is inverted, as it is on some fruit, push inwards on it and you’ll achieve the same result.  Keep them stored in the fridge and they can last for up to two weeks.  I am about to also try freezing the peeled flesh as I suspect it may cope quite well with freezing due to its firm texture.

The texture is crunchy, similar to the crunchy varieties of jackfruit.

SERVING

The fruit is astringent while unripe, and a small amount of astringency can remain in the ripe fruit – the only effect of which is a slight dry sensation on the palate when eaten plain out of hand.  It is easy to counteract this by serving salak, de-seeded, sliced or chopped and mixed with juicy fruit such as passionfruit, papaya or carambola.  In these combinations any dryness on the palate disappears and the flavour and crunchy texture shine through – a great combination with soft luscious tropical fruits.  For a contrast to salak’s crisp texture, it is also a great match with the creamy, juicy pulp of any of the Atemoyas such as custard apple, rollinia or guanabana (soursop).

This morning we made coconut rice pudding with a sprinkling of ground chai spices (I make my own blend which is in my cookbook tropical cuisine: cooking in clare’s kitchen) and served it with a fruit salad of salak, banana, passionfruit, carambola and papaya.  YUM!

As a savoury snack, try dipping larger slices of salak which have been marinating in freshly squeezed lime juice into a mixture of chilli powder and salt, a great Asian approach to snacking that goes very well with a beer.

I also expect they will make a great salad sliced finely with jicama and dressed with lime juice, flaky salt and some fresh sliced chilli – that one is on my to do list for the next day or two.

Salak can also be added to warm salads or stir fries, in the same way that I use longans in the longans and shitake mushrooms with soba noodles recipe in tropical cuisine: cooking in clare’s kitchen.  Longans provide lush juiciness to that dish, so if using salaks instead you may want to use a mixture of soft and firm tofu as the soft tofu will reintroduce a creamy texture to the dish to counter the removal of the longans.

The flesh is also delicious just sliced and mixed with freshly squeezed lime juice.

Keep an eye out for salaks at your local Asian grocer or fresh produce outlet – their flavour and crispy texture make them well worth trying.

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By clare, March 9, 2010

I thought it might be of interest to some readers to see the main items that will be covered in the Produce Glossary of Tropical Cuisine: Cooking in Clare’s Kitchen. As you may already know this cookbook is the first of what will be several volumes, and in each one a new set of produce will be featured. You may also know that in the produce glossary I am focusing on featuring produce which is available in markets and quality retailers, and/or grows easily at home, but with which many people are not so familiar. One aim of Tropical Cuisine: Cooking in Clare’s Kitchen is to provide information that assists people to experiment or make greater use of the fantastic array of produce we have available in tropical Australia. Continue reading 'Produce glossary'»

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By clare, February 19, 2010

When Tropical Cusine: Cooking in Clare’s Kitchen comes out I imagine that some readers might presume I am a complete soak from the number of mixed drink and cocktail recipes it will contain.  However, coming up with these recipes is more about playfulness than ensuring a regular alcoholic intake.  They are like a liquid and simple version of a dessert, which is another satisfying realm of recipe testing because of the ease with which one can find and combine flavours and textures.  Ironic really given that I rarely eat desserts myself, although that pattern changed for a while during the recipe testing when I was working mostly on dessert recipes (and my waistline paid the price).

Anyway, todays offering is a take on the look of the Tequila Sunrise, and uses ingredients that are very much part of the identity of this part of the world – rum, red papaya, and the indigenous Davidsons plum.  Here it is, the Sailors Delight:

Sailors Delight

1 tablespoon Davidsons plum syrup, plus 1 teaspoon extra to drizzle around glass

45ml dark rum

1/2 cup pureed ripe red papaya pulp

3/4 cup soda water Continue reading 'Playing at sundown'»

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By clare, October 13, 2009

…a simple tropical take on the classic combination of rockmelon and prosciutto.  Slice papaya into slender wedges (about 2cm at their widest point) and wind a finely sliced piece of prosciutto around each slice.  For small bites to have with drinks, dice papaya into 2cm squares and wrap each in some prosciutto, secured with a toothpick.

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By clare, September 14, 2009

I love papaya for breakfast, but it is not very sustaining on its own.  Sweet potato is amazing in its capacity to keep you going for hours and hours, but can be a bit on the heavy side to eat on its own for breakfast.  This recipe combines them along with lime juice and passionfruit, and makes for a great breakfast.  Soaking the sweet potato in lime juice and cubing them small into 1cm pieces makes it creamy and light, a great mix with the succulence of ripe papaya.

This recipe will be published in my cookbook Tropical Cuisine: Cooking in Clare’s Kitchen.

Sweet potato, papaya, lime and passionfruit salad

For two serves allow:

1 medium purple-veined white sweet potato

1/2 medium ripe red papaya (I like the Papua New Guinea and Hawaiian varieties best)

2 limes

4 passionfruit

yoghurt to serve if you wish

The night before while making dinner, peel and cube the sweet potato into 1cm pieces.  The white flesh will oxidise and brown quickly so if you want to avoid this, rub the slices with a cut lime as you go.  Place the cubes into a steamer over already boiling water and steam for about 15 minutes until the cubes are cooked through.

Take off heat and place sweet potato into a container and squeeze the lime juice over and toss through well.  Leave to marinate for about 1/2 hour, tossing occaisionally if you can.  After that, pour off any excess lime juice and place sweet potato in the fridge.  This mix will keep happily for several days, so you can increase the amount you cook at one time and have enough prepared for several days breakfasts.

At breakfast, for each person place the cubes of 1/2 a sweet potato into a bowl and cube a 1/4 of a papaya over them, then the pulp of 2 passionfruit.  Serve with yoghurt if you like, but I love the clean flavours of this salad on their own.

© Clare Richards 2009