Pomelo (pommelo) - pronounced [pom-EH-loh]
Thought to be the ancestor of the graprefuit.
This giant citrus (citrus
grandus) fruit is native to Malaysia (where it still grows abundantly). It is also
cultivated in California and Israel. Most of the varieties found today have been
bred and grown. A large pomelo is the largest of all citrus. They can
grow to be as large as a foot in diameter and up to 25 pounds. The rind is very
thick but soft and easy to peel away. The resulting fruit is light yellow to
coral-pink flesh and can vary from juicy to slightly dry and from seductively
spicy-sweet to tangy and tart. The pomelo is also known as a shaddock. |
Featured
Recipe
Yam Som-O (Thai Pomelo-Chicken Salad)
1 Pomelo or ruby red -grapefruit
1 small whole cooked chicken breast
1 cup cooked shrimp
1 teaspoon chopped red chile
1 1/2 tablespoon Thai
fish sauce
1 1/2 teaspoon sugar
Juice from 1 large lime
1 1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
1 small head red leaf lettuce
for -garnish
1/4 cup roasted peanuts,
Chopped fresh red chile, julienned for garnish
Peel and separate pomelo or grapefruit into segments. Remove the membranes. Seed. Gently
flake the flesh apart into a bowl. Chill. Hand shred the chicken. Add chicken and shrimp
to pomelo. In a small bowl mix together the chopped red chile with fish sauce, sugar, lime
juice and coriander; toss with pomelo chicken mixture. Arrange the lettuce on a serving
platter. Put the fruit mixture over the lettuce. Top with peanuts and 2 tablespoons of
Crisp Fried Shallot Flakes, and garnish with red chile slivers.
Serves 4 to 6 as a salad entree.
Crispy Fried Shallot Flakes
6 Shallots, thinly sliced
1 cup vegetable oil
Slice shallots into thin slices. Be sure they are all of the same thinness to ensure even
cooking. Heat a pan with the vegetable oil over medium heat. Add shallots and fry slowly
until browned and crisp, 5 to 10 minutes. The moisture in the shallots should be
completely cooked out. Drain on paper towel. Store in an air-tight container.
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Culinary Uses
The pomelo can be used
anywhere where grapefruit is suggested. The rind is sometimes candied or used in jams.
Nutrition
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| Vitamin C (mg) |
115.900 |
History
The pomelo was most likely from Malaysia and
Indonesia where it grew wild. It is also presumed to have been grown by the Chinese
for thousands of years.
Buy and
Store
The pomelo are regularly found in Hispanic and Asian markets and quite possibly in your
neighborhood grocery as well. Refrigerate the fruit up to one week.
Medicinal
Uses
The Chinese boil the skins and the leaves of the pomelo to prepare a ceremonial bath
to "ritually cleanse a person and repel evil".
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