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Is Durian a fruit or a vegetable?

Have you ever heard of durian? It’s also known as jackfruit in some places…

Everywhere I have looked, they refer to durian as a fruit. A very stinky fruit at that… a fruit so stinky it has been sometimes banned from being carried in public transportation. Apparently is that stinky…

In the Food Network it is always presented as a challenge, because when you get past that stinky impression, apparently durian is a very sweet and delicious fruit used in many desserts. Cooks just need to get over the initial impression to be able to fully enjoy durian in all its glory.

However in India, I was presented durian as a vegetable… huh?

They told me that durian, when unripe is considered in India as a vegetable and cooked in curries and sauces to be eaten as a vegetable. When fully ripe, apparently is when the distinctive odor develops, then it turns sweet and is considered a fruit.

This is an example of the ways we were offered durian during our latest Indian trip… I kinda liked it. I tried it at the last portion of the trip when I was already tired of eating foods so heavily seasoned with cumin. So it’s not fair to the durian that it was made with so much of what I don’t enjoy. But I am willing to give it another try.

Have you ever eaten durian? In a sweet or savory preparation?? Please share…

Tags: durian, food, fruit, india, savory, stinky, sweet, vegetable, vegetarian

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Categories MY EDITORIAL, Travel

Sugar-Coated Fennel Seeds

5 Jul

I do enjoy something sweet after dinner… not necessarily dessert, but something sweet to freshen my breath and possibly, help me with digestion.

I am used to a little minty something after a restaurant dinner… but in India, you get served sugar-coated fennel seeds.

In paper, if I read fennel seeds coated in sugar I would probably say, PASS!! But without knowing what they were, I popped a few of these sugary treats in my mouth and they’re delicious!!

I have learned they are great to help you digest your dinner and they help simmer down the effects of spicy foods.

So if you have an Indian market nearby, seek out these delicious treats – sugar-coated fennel seeds.

Tags: after dinner, digestif, fennel, fennel seeds, food, india, Indian food, indian treat, sugar coated, sweet, vegetarian

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Categories home remedies, MY EDITORIAL, Travel

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Veggie Bites of Wisdom #37

2 Jul

Tags: fashion, food, Linda McCartney, Paul McCartney, Stella McCartney, vegetarian, wisdom

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Categories Veggie Bites of Wisdom

Guacamole Verde

1 Jul

You know I am not a cilantro fan… When a recipe calls for cilantro I usually substitute with flat-leaf parsley or I just omit it at all.

But there is something I have learned about cilantro in the last few years… I can tolerate it, even enjoy it, when I use only the leaves and not the stems of the cilantro plant. The stems remind me too much of the taste of recao. It’s too strong for me and gives me acid reflux. I know… not pretty. I noticed this once when I was cooking the now-famous veggie sancocho recipe after a retreat. I did like Ina Garten and shaved the leaves off the stems of the cilantro and used only that to “season” the sancocho. The other “more experienced” cooks were appalled at my “waste” of perfectly good cilantro stems. But many of the soup eaters thanked me afterwards because the cilantro flavor was subtle and not over powering at all after a few days of fasting.

Fast forward to the other day when I wanted to make something to bring to a party and I had an over abundance of avocados in my hands. I decided to make an avocado without tomatoes so it would stay as creamy as possible without the watery residue tomatoes sometimes leave atop guacamole. At the store there was no flat-leaf parsley so I went with the traditional and very much cheaper cilantro.

This guacamole was an absolute hit… People were asking me for the recipe all night. I wished I had posted this recipe already so I would not have to repeat myself so many times that night.

GUACAMOLE VERDE

1 large avocado, cut into small pieces

1/2 medium onion, finely diced

The juice of 1 green lime

A generous handful of fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

A drizzle of olive oil – about 1 tbs

Salt and Pepper to taste

Mash everything together in a medium sized bowl.
Let it stand in the fridge for a few hours so the flavors meld together.

You can make this with fresh avocados, but it also works with frozen avocados. Just defrost them and get rid of any water that separates from the pulp when the avocado is thawing.