Recipe for May2008
Spicy Pummelo Salad (Citrus maxima)
Pummelo (Citrus maxima) is a tropical fruit tree known scientifically as Citrus maxima and belongs to the family Rutaceae (citrus family). It is an evergreen tree that grows 5-15m tall and spreading branches. The fruit is about 10-30 cm in diameter and is usually round or peer-like in shape. It has a greenish appearance when immature and greenish-yellow when fully ripe. The fruits mature 7 to 10 months after flowering. Pummelo is widespread throughout Southeast Asia and can be found also in some countries in the Pacific including Australia and in the USA (Florida and California) and in Southern Africa. Pummelo fruit is rich in vitamin C and also contains significant amounts of protein, carbohydrates, calcium, phosphorous and vitamins A, B1, B2 and B12.
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Ingredients
- 1 Pummelo
- 1/4 cup unsweetened desiccated coconut
- 1 skinless boneless chicken breast (1/2 lb)
- 2 teaspoons dried shrimp
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 cup canned unsweetened coconut cream or unsweetened coconut milk (not cream of coconut) at room temperature, stirred well
- 2 to 4 fresh red Thai chillies (to taste, each 1 1/2 to 2 inches), minced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 jumbo shrimp in shell (10 to 12 per lb)
- 1/4 cup Asian rice flour (not sweet)
- About 4 cups vegetable oil for frying
Method
- Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
- Sprinkle coconut in 1 layer in a shallow baking pan and toast, stirring once or twice, until evenly golden, 8 to 10 minutes. (Watch carefully; edges burn quickly.)
- Meanwhile, cover chicken with cold water in a 2-quart saucepan and simmer over moderate heat until just cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove chicken, discarding cooking liquid, and, when cool enough to handle, shred into 1/2-inch-thick pieces in a large bowl.
- Cut peel, including most of white pith, from pummelo with a sharp knife. (Peel is very thick.) Using your hands, split pummelo from center of one end, like an orange. Pull off interior pith and remove segments 1 at a time, then remove segment membranes and any small seeds, separating pulp. (Fruit may remain in small clumps.) Add pummelo pulp to chicken.
- Grind dried shrimp into small pieces in grinder, about 20 seconds. Heat a dry 8-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, then cook dried shrimp, shaking skillet, until pale golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl.
- Whisk together lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, coconut cream, toasted coconut, chillies, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a small bowl, then stir into pummelo mixture.
- Halve jumbo shrimp lengthwise with a sharp large knife, leaving shells in place.. Season with remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt and dredge in rice flour, shaking off excess.
- Heat 1 inch oil in a 4- to 6-quart pot over moderately high heat until it registers 375°F on thermometer. Fry shrimp in shells in 2 batches until golden, about 3 to 5 minutes per batch, returning oil to 375°F between batches. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
Serve pummelo salad topped with fried jumbo shrimp (peeled if desired) and sprinkled with toasted dried shrimp.
Next recipe in June 2008.
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