Apple Loaded Fruit Salad

Just when you thought you are so tired or actually lazy to make an awesome dessert, try this fruit salad. It’s so good you will impress yourself and boost your morale. This is the perfect dessert for a lazy weekend. We have them for three (yes that’s 3) consecutive weekends already and we don’t think we’ll experience a taste fatigue any sooner. Okay, the analogy about lazy and having it on several weekends does not seem to favor me. I admit I have been so sluggish to hit the kitchen lately but it’s due to the work overload at the office. I intentionally included the word “office” for I believe it is the magic word …… to at least make it a valid reason for not being able to post anything for quite some time now …… to lessen the feeling …… of guilt that is. :-)

Featuring this simple and easy version of the well loved Filipino dessert is just in time for the holiday season ……… in particular the “Paskong Pilipino”. This salad is among the top favorites Filipino table fares during such special family occasions where only the grandest foods are served.

Different regions have different preparations of fruit salads. The variation is dictated by the use on the types of fruit as well the kinds of sauce. Generally though, fruit salad is a dish consisting of numerous kinds of fruit, served in a liquid, either in syrup or simply in their own juices. While fruit salad or “buko salad” in the Philippines is typically made with condensed milk, cream, canned fruit cocktail or fresh fruit specially young or tender coconut and relatively sweet the other countries’ fruit salads can be savory with the use of sour cream or yogurt or mustard and spicy with the inclusion of peanut and shrimp paste.

Avocado-Banana Milkshake (Smoothie)

Avocado is in season here in Sri Lanka and our group has been consuming the healthy fruit (or vegetable, if that’s the way you like categorizing it) enormously. Either prepared as avocado shake/smoothie as a drink or lightly pureed and sweetened with condensed milk and eaten as a dessert (the popular Filipino way of eating it), avocado is truly delicious. Wait …… I’m drooling just thinking of the greenish yellow, velvety, buttery flesh of the fruit .... so make that very delicious. :)

Taking advantage of the current abundant supply which also translates to very reasonable or inexpensive cost, we have avocado smoothie almost every day. Don’t be astonished. While we love it and there is no indication that we will develop a taste fatigue any sooner, I decided to effect counter measure early on and made an easy variation by blending banana into the luscious drink. The result is pretty fabulous and worthy of posting hence this feature now.

This is a nice addition to the several fruit shake recipes already posted here such as the exotic bael (beli fruit), guyabano (sour sop) and green mango (unripe); the typical ones like pineapple, mango, avocado and papaya; and mixed-flavor concoction like the mango-papaya. Since guyabano and avocado are my top picks, this new avocado-banana blend is another potential favorite for me ……… and just probably, yours too!

Bael or Beli Fruit and Smoothie

It is pretty exciting to find bael fruit here in Sri Lanka where it is popularly known as “beli” fruit. It is new to me and considered promising due to its perceived health and medicinal benefits. Bael is actually the fruit of a gum-bearing middle sized slender aromatic subtropical tree indigenous to the dry forests of central and southern India, southern Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand. It is currently cultivated all throughout India, in Sri Lanka, northern Malay Peninsula, Java, Fiji Islands and surprisingly, the Philippines.

I cannot recall having encountered the exotic fruit anywhere back home in the Philippines where I have been to about less than 20 of its magnificent 7,107 islands. :-) It is reported to have first fruited in the northern region of the island of Luzon. While I came from the same island, only from the central region, the fruit seems very elusive and probably marketed only to small areas close to where they were produced and may have not yet reached our areas and key cities.

The tree and also the fruit are called by many other names, among them are “bilva”, “bel”, Bengal quince, stone apple, Indian quince, golden apple, holy fruit, “matum”, “phneou”, “bau nau”, “bilak”, “maja pahit”, “modjo”, “oranger du Malabar” and “marmelos”. Sometimes it is called elephant apple and wood apple although there is another popular wood apple in Sri Lanka which refers to a different tree or fruit. The tree grows up to 15 meters tall, with short trunk, thick, soft, flaking bark and spreading sometimes spiny branches with the lower ones drooping. It has a trifoliate leaves and bears fragrant flowers.

Papaya Shake (Smoothie)

The other day, I purchased two large papayas intended as fruit desserts for our group’s two successive dinners. The papayas which belong to the Mexican variety were quite enormous in size and had a weight of around 4 kilograms or slightly less than 9 lbs each. As expected, the flesh of the papaya had a striking yellow-orange color with a slight hint of pink-red hue. The sweet flavor was surprisingly as intense as that of the smaller Hawaiian variety. It was soft, juicy, sweetish, tasty and extremely refreshing. But even after seven members had been fully satisfied by the fruit after a meal, another slice remained. I stocked it inside the fridge and ate during breakfast the following morning.

But for the second fruit, I decided to make the excess slice into a stimulating shake or smoothie drink. After all, the particular papaya has great flavor and extra sweetness which I thought will work well in a smoothie. Previously, I already made a similar drink but using a combination of mango and papaya and posted it here. This time I want to try preparing another luscious beverage using papaya flesh only and some sugar syrup. Whilst I am not sure it can better the one with mango, I still believe the drink will come out good with its own distinct flavor.

Mango Shake or Smoothies

Since after preparing the stimulating “green mango shake” from the crunchy green mangoes harvested early on from the plant growing inside our backyard, the remaining abundant fruits have fully grown and matured. I picked some the other day with an intention to make them into the Filipino “burong manga” or pickled or fermented mango. Due to procrastination however, the fruits have inevitably ripen making them no longer suitable for pickling. Nonetheless, it did not make me sad or even a bit disappointed; after all, mangoes when ripe are even better.

As mentioned in my mango-papaya shake post, a ripe mango is sweet, peach like and juicy. Its flesh has a unique taste and texture which varies from soft, pulpy texture similar to an over-ripe plum to firmer flesh like a cantaloupe or avocado. The flavor is pleasant and rich and high in sugars and acid. The fruit is a favorite in many countries and one of the most commonly eaten fruits in tropical countries around the world. It is in fact considered as the apple of the tropics.

Turon or Turron or Sagimis (Banana Fritters or Banana Spring Rolls)

The Philippine cuisine, in my opinion, is now an amalgamation of various international cuisines that were either introduced by early colonizers, liberators, traders and merchants, developed in response to the demand generated by tourism and international business undertakings, influenced by the influx of foreign migration and affected by the emergence of global market and free trades.

Hamburgers, pizza, spaghetti, “shawarma”, “dimsums”, “dumplings”, “sushi”, “sashimi”, are just a few of many foreign foods that are now considered part of the modern Filipino cuisine. You can buy them from kiosks and roadside stores or order them in most city eateries and restaurants. They even have variations and have developed characteristics unique to the Filipinos.

In spite of these invasions and introductions however, the original Philippine dishes, though some have become less popular over the years, especially in the case of native Philippine delicacy or traditional snacks or “merienda” locally called “kakanin”, managed to somehow continue serving and satisfying its niche.

Enter the Dragon Fruits

I have discovered several new fruits since I worked here in Sri Lanka. Among those which I have already featured are the juicy citrus “ambul dodang” and another variety of naturally sour citrus called “jama naran”, both of which make very refreshing lemonades. Here, I was also exposed to new varieties of banana such as the rather tiny but sweet “seeni kesel” which I cooked into “minatamis na saging” and the quite rare and heavy, in both weight and nutritional contents, called “nethrampalam” or “nendran” banana.

I also found here but have not yet posted the island-wide popular wood apple or elephant apple locally known as “divul” which they make into healthful drinks. We have tried this before but not quite impressed.

In addition, occasionally visiting the fruit sections of supermarkets provided us with opportunity to see some uncommon, sometimes unfamiliar but delightfully colorful and seemingly luscious exotic fruits. Among them is the interestingly pretty dragon fruit. I remember the first time I encountered the fruit; my eyes were immediately caught by its vibrant color and beautiful appearance. Later on, I discovered that the fruit has been commonly available as well in the Philippine markets. But it is only here that I fully enjoyed its thirst quenching flesh.

Calamansi Juice & other Uses of Calamondin or Philippine Lemon

It there is one citrus fruit that was used in cookery and mentioned with the most number of times in this blog; it is the internationally underrated fruit and cooking ingredients called “calamansi” or “calamondin” and sometimes “lemoncito” in the Philippines. It is usually referred to by many Filipinos living abroad as Philippine lemon, probably since a lemon is its next best substitute in preparing Filipino dishes that particularly requires the juice of the said citrus.

“Calamansi” is a small, about 3-4 cm diameter, round fruit with a striking greenish to orange color peel which although quite popular in Southeast Asia is less known and under utilized in many parts of the world. In the west it is variously known as acid orange, “calamondin” orange or Panama orange.

Kasoy - Cashew Juice and Nuts

There are three important things to remember about the fascinating work of nature called cashew or what is known as “kasoy” or “casuy” in the Philippines, "marañón" in Brazil and Spain, “cajou” or “caju” in Portugal, “acajaiba” or “acajé” in Tupi and “kadju” here in Sri Lanka, to mention just a few of its many names. First is the real fruit, second is the nut and third is the accessory fruit. Is that very clear? I know it’s not. :-)

The accessory fruit, sometimes called the false fruit or pseudo fruit, is the oval or pear or bell-shaped structure that develops from the receptacle of the cashew flower which ripens into an attractive yellow and/or red but delicately soft body called cashew apple. This is what most of us believed is the fruit. It’s not.

Green Mango Shake (Smoothies)

The mango trees we have in our backyard are now in abundance with fruits. The enticing green fruits are still on an early stage but already driving us all into an uncontrollable state of salivation. Its alluring crunchiness that regularly greet us every morning as we leave for work, serves as a silent bombardment reminding us that we still have some “Ginisang Alamang” in the fridge waiting to be devoured alongside with its sourly-tasty flesh. Okay, I am drooling now. :-)

But since the fruits are quite a lot, we have options to use them in some other ways or preparations. While Sri Lankan and Indian usually use their green mangoes as vegetable cooking them with curry and other spices, the Filipino’s alternative way of enjoying the bounty harvest at its unripe stage is to make a refreshing and invigorating green mango shake or smoothies. With the summer season fast approaching, the sight of green mangoes hanging from the branches is simply awesome.

Nethrampalam or Kochchi Kesel or Nendran Banana, The Big One

Banana is among the most important fruits of the world. In terms of production tonnage and trade volume, fresh banana remains in the top slot and probably will continue to lead over other fruits in many more years to come. While banana is native to tropical Southeast and South Asia, its introduction to other tropical and subtropical regions all over the world resulted to its gaining immense importance and extreme popularity worldwide. They are now extensively cultivated throughout the tropics and are successfully grown in no less than 107 countries.

Here in Sri Lanka, there are about 29 cultivar varieties and 2 wild varieties of bananas with 5 of the cultivars being green cooking types and the rest being dessert types which are yellow and fully ripe when eaten. They are grown all over the island except in higher elevation. Banana is so common here that you will find several bunches hanging in every store in the countryside. Whilst I have eaten several varieties such as the one similar in taste with “Musa Saba” locally called “Seeni Kesel” which apart from eating as dessert I also cooked into “Minatamis na Saging” (Sweetened Bananas) and “Banana Que”, a lot more varieties are yet to be tried and tasted, especially those not found and I have not yet eaten in the Philippines or elsewhere.

One variety that really caught my attention though, is the horn plantain cultivar locally called “Nethrampalam” or “Kochchi Kesel”. This unusual and considered very rare banana, also called Nendran” in India, is particularly big and I mean really BIG. Much bigger the biggest Cavendish I have seen in the Philippines, a top banana producer and exporter. The photos above will show what I mean when I say big. A comparison with the regular-sized bananas and with a papaya below will speak for itself.

“Nethrampalam” fetches a quite high price in the limited market at about 1.30 USD a piece or finger. However, it has a reputation as composing a very high nutritive value and especially good for the eyesight. So I did not think twice in buying 2 fingers to try it for myself along with our group of course as I did not think I can consume 1 whole banana this size by myself. :-) From the date of purchase, we waited for about 3 more days before the fruit has fully ripen and upon peeling, this delicate flesh has emerged:

It’s one delicious banana. I’m kidding you not. From the looks of the fruit alone, I never thought it would taste that way it tasted. It has a slight resemblance to the taste of the top Philippine banana called “lakatan” or “lacatan”. The flesh is slightly firmed, very tasty, not overly sweet and not watery. It is likely a candidate for salad ingredient which, unlike many other types of banana, will not render too much liquid which often make the salad soggy. But of course, this is still a presumption and I need to verify this in actual usage. :-)

“Nethrampalam”, the big one when it comes to banana, with its reported high nutritive values, deserves better attention as far as study and cultivation is concerned. While being rare makes it exotic, interesting and exciting, the fruit could potentially provide source of livelihood and bigger trade opportunities to many agricultural communities, if could be widely grown and produced. c“,)

Boodle Feast, Brings Family Even Closer Together

Upon watching it in the television, I find the military style of group eating called "boodle fight" very interesting and I thought the practical and worthwhile activity is applicable to families every once in a while. A boodle fight is the military way of serving food in a wide table or flat surface covered with banana leaves where all foods: rice, veggies, viands and sauces are dumped and everyone gathers around to eat with bare hands. It might look messy and untidy but it is really fun, appetizing and brings members closer together.

Starting with an all-male group in the family composed of brothers, brothers-in-law, cousins, uncles and close friends who usually go together doing outdoors activities like fishing, hunting, playing basketball and later mountain biking, we tried doing boodle fight style of eating many years back, long before some Manila restaurants started serving them. It immediately turned a hit among us and repeat request mounts. Since then, we would always undertake the activity every time there are enough family members around, usually during special gatherings or holidays. Over the years, many other family members, my son and daughter among them, are attracted and would join the blissful and satisfying feast.

This year, I specially arranged for two boodle feasts intended for all the family members to participate. Everyone enjoyed, even my son and young nieces who are not accustomed to eating with bare hands. It is quite a precious family moment and grand time that my wife thought that it has now become a family tradition. I believe it is. Our all-male family members have been doing it for around 8 years I think and by most family members over the last 2 years. I expect it to get better every year as everyone now anticipates it.

Among the indoor-cooked main courses we lined-up in our boodle feast are creamy and delicious “ginataang dalag at hipon” (mud fish and shrimp in coconut milk), tasty “litsong kawali” (deep fried pork belly), sumptuous “sisig pampanga” as well as crispy chicharong bulaklak (pork intestine part cracklings) and fried pork liver which I missed to photograph.

Since boodle feast is an outdoor activity, barbeque and grilling are essential parts of the food preparation. For barbeques we have pork barbeque and some lightly seasoned and marinated spare ribs.

We have several types of fish for grilling like a certain type of marine flat fish offered to me in the market and some of our favorite local freshwater fishes like tilapia, walking catfish (“hito”) and mud fish (“dalag”).

Of course, for a typical Filipino meal with lots of barbeques and grilled fish, crunchy green mangoes and its “bagoong alamang” (shrimp paste) counterpart is a must. Additionally, “ginisang bagoong” (fish paste sauté in tomato) is also not to be forgotten to complement the grill dishes.

The feast will not be complete without vegetables to be steamed and grilled. We have long and round eggplants, young okra, plum tomatoes and finger chilies to add some kick. Some fresh calamansi (Philippine lemon) are also needed for that favorite soy sauce or “patis” (fish sauce) dips.

After cooking the barbeques, grilled fish and vegetables, preparing the boodle table is a sight to behold which will surely cause everyone to crave.

Believe me! Inviting everyone to the boodle table will not be difficult at all and for once, diet and weight control is out of consideration. Even during photo taking and prior to declaration to start eating, some will already be having a hand full of rice. :-)

"Cham and the other kids are pa-cute and the rest hungry"

Eating boodle style is not just a time for lavish eating but a wonderful family moment. It is a valuable quality time easily shared by every member of the family. A rare opportunity to bond, rekindle the closeness and make the family ties even closer and tight………and a sure way to have a lot of fun too. These images are my proof:

"Let the fun begins...."

"The proper way of eating pork BBQ"

"Pinsan, this is a child-friendly blog, remove that drink please."

"It's that fast hand again"

"She will eat too......after the pose.......promised!"

"Demure way of eating pork BBQ"

"Tin-tin could never be happier"

With such so many busy hands moving at an enormous speed, expect the feast to be gone in a short while. :)

What a better way to end a very sumptuous feast but with sweet juicy watermelon for dessert and “buko” (young coconut) juice (not in the photo) and the reliable coca cola as drinks.

And while everyone is still overwhelmed by the wonderful meal they just happily shared, Charize with her innocent antics is always there to provide with more delight and amazement to lighten the feeling of the really full crowd. c“,)

"Sangoy to the max, eat your heart out Attila, better be home next year."

Fresh Fruits for Dessert

Dessert is a course that typically comes at the end of a meal, usually consisting of sweet food such as cakes like banana cake and chocolate cake, cookies, pastries, ice cream, candies, puddings, chocolate bars, sweetened fruits like “banana que” and sweetened banana, sweet delicacies and my favorite, fresh fruits. Dessert is an important part of a meal as it enlivens the eating satisfaction to a higher level. Sort of completing the food intake to a point where taste buds will attain a state of pure pleasure and will temporarily shutdown in craving for foods or anything. :-)

Fresh fruit is my preferred dessert for every meal. With so many good things being attributed to fruits I guess no elaboration is really needed. However, it is worth mentioning that fruit provides energy in the form of natural sugars which our body can extract without even feeling fulfilled. Said sugars are digested in a short period in a chemical process with no toxic waste byproduct. Fruit also contains substantial amount of the important fibers and high percentage of water which is almost the same water percentage of the human body at 80%.

Being in a tropical country like the Philippines, we are blessed with many varieties of fruits available to everyone at a relatively low cost here in Sri Lanka. I have featured before some of the local harvests of fresh fruits in season as well as the remarkable king coconut and banana which we enjoy all year round. There are many more which I hope to post one by one or in groups in the future.

For dessert we usually have, as shown above, pineapple. It is the crunchy-sweet variety which is also a favorite of our Japanese friends.

For very good source of natural sugars + water, we have water melon and melon which provide a refreshing dessert at the end of a satisfying full Filipino meal during weekends. :-)

Imported fruits also make a good dessert although not quite cheap here. Grapes, apple, oranges and seedless water melon are perfect at the end of a sumptuous meal during special occasions.

As we get old, our interest in nutrition increases and we are getting more conscious about what we eat. Consequently, our interest in fruit and its contents grows. As expected, more and more people are now eating fruits for dessert. c“,)

Avocado Shake (Smoothies)

Lately, I have been preparing and enjoying the goodness of fresh fruit shakes or smoothies. I already have 3 posts about the healthy and natural drinks namely, “Guyabano”, Mango-Papaya and Pineapple shakes. Well, it’s mainly because we have an easy access to several kinds of fruits harvested from the farms and backyards of local residents in our area. I’m pretty sure that we can consider the harvest organic and therefore it has the additional benefits health wise. Another reason is that they are really inexpensive and by buying, we are able to help the home growers. Frugality at its noblest form, you may say. :-)

Among the fruits I recently bought are nice avocados. So this time, I want to make avocado shake or smoothie. The drink is probably next to “guyabano” shake in terms of natural vitamins and minerals. Like probably most of us, I learned to like the taste of avocado when I’m already a grown up. Yes, I avoided eating the fruit when I was still young. But it is totally a different scenario now as I even search the fruits whenever I don’t find them from roadside fruit vendors.

The avocado, also known as butter pear or alligator pear and palta or aguacate in Spanish, is a tree native to the Caribbean, Mexico, South America and Central America. It is a commercially valuable crop whose trees and fruit are cultivated in tropical climates throughout the world and some temperate ones like California. Avocado also refers to the fruit, a large berry that contains a large seed of the tree which may be pear-shaped or egg-shaped or spherical and green-skinned fruit that ripens after harvesting. Trees are partially self-pollinating and often are propagated through grafting to maintain a predictable quality and quantity of the fruit.

The fruit has a markedly higher fat content than most other fruit, mostly monounsaturated fat, and as such serves as an important staple in the diet of various groups where access to other fatty foods such as high-fat meats and fish, dairy, etc is limited. A ripe avocado will yield to a gentle pressure when held in the palm of the hand and squeezed. The flesh is deep green near the skin, becoming yellowish nearer the single large, inedible ovoid seed. It is typically greenish yellow to golden yellow when ripe.

Avocado is very popular in vegetarian cuisine, making an excellent substitute for meats in sandwiches and salads because of its high fat content. The fruit is not sweet but fatty, distinctly yet subtly flavored and of smooth, almost creamy texture. It is used as the base for the Mexican dip known as guacamole, as well as a filling for several kinds of sushi, including California rolls. Avocado is popular in chicken dishes and as a spread on toast, served with salt and pepper. Avocado slices are frequently added to hamburgers, “tortas”, hot dogs and carne asada.

In Brazil, Indonesia, Vietnam, South India and the Philippines, avocados are frequently used for milk-shakes and occasionally added to ice cream and other desserts. In Brazil, Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia, a dessert drink is made with sugar, milk or water and pureed avocado. Here in Sri Lanka, it is a popular dessert once well ripened, flesh is thoroughly mashed with sugar/sugar and milk or treacle which I featured before.

For a single blending good for about 2 tall glasses, the few ingredients you will need are about 2 cups of peeled and sliced avocado, ¼ cup condensed milk, 1 cup cold water and about 1 tray ice cube, about 12 pieces.

To prepare, just put everything into the blender, cover tightly and pulse it several times until the ice cube and fruits are broken down and blended evenly with the other ingredients.

Pulse it a couple of times more until a smooth, rich and creamy consistency is attained. Don’t over blend.

Pour the drinks into tall glasses and serve. It’s refreshingly healthy. Enjoy! c“,)