This time of the year is the time when most tropical fruits come to Chinatown. It is the time that I can enjoy the delicious, sweet taste from home. Like these red hairy fruit called Lambutan or Ngao in Thai. They are my favorite tropical fruits ever. I can eat up to two kilos. by myself.
My brothers, sister and I always to go grandma's orchard when these fruits are in the season. We eat them right there on the trees. You peel the red hairy skin off and eat the sweet, white meat at the inside. It is an almond-size pit inside that you don't want to eat it, or you can, if you wanted to, only that it doesn't taste anything. As for cooking, some people put them in some red curries. It is delicious.
Sweet Pamelo (Som-O)
These guys are so refreshing and juicy. There are many kinds of Pamelo. The one that is quite sour, we put them in salads, and eat the sweet one just like other fruits. To me, they are the giant grapefruits with a very thick think skin and thick white membrane that you need a knife to peel it off.
Pomegranate (Tub-tim)
Pomegranate are in as well, but I am not a big fan of them. I am taught not to eat their seeds, I can put all the seed in my mouth, once I get all the juice I have to spit the white seeds out - do not swallow them, and that's quite annoying.
Longan (Lum-yai)
These fruits will give me mouth ulcer if I eat too much of them at one time, which happens quite often because the white meat inside the brown skin is so irresistible. It is sweet and fluidly - a bit like hard-jelly. They have a hard black pit inside, just don't eat those.
In Thailand we have so much varieties of fruits year-round, and that what I miss the most.
vegetables and fruits store on Mulberry and Canal street, Chinatown, Manhattan
