Pomelo

The Chinese boil the skins and the leaves of the pomelo to prepare a ceremonial bath to "ritually cleanse a person and repel evil".

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.