Asian's Feast

Langsat

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Lansium domesticum, also known as langsat, buahluku or lanzones, is a species of tree in the Mahogany family. The plant, which originates from western Southeast Asia, bears edible fruit. It is the provincial flower for the Indonesian province of South Sumatra.

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Rambutan

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The rambutan (/ræmˈbuːtən/; taxonomic name: Nephelium lappaceum) is a medium-sized tropical tree in the family Sapindaceae. The fruit produced by the tree is also known as rambutan.

According to popular belief and the origin of its name, rambutan is native to Indonesia and Malaysia. The earliest record of rambutan trees show that they were cultivated by the Malayan jungle tribes around their temporary settlements, a practice followed to date.Rambutan trees grow naturally in Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, and elsewhere in Southeast Asia, although its precise natural distribution is unknown.It is closely related to several other edible tropical fruits including thelychee, longan, and mamoncillo.It is native to the Indonesian Archipelago,from where it spread westwards to Thailand, Burma, Sri Lanka and India; northwards to Vietnam, and the Philippines.

A species regularly sold in Costa Rican markets may be known as "wild" rambutan. Yellow in color, it is smaller than the usual red variety. The flesh exposed when the outer skin is peeled off is sweet and sour, slightly grape-like and gummy to the taste. In Panama and Costa Rican Spanish, it is known as mamón chino ("Chinese Sucker") due to its Asian origin and the likeness of the edible part with Melicoccus bijugatus. The fruit has been successfully transplanted by grafting in Puerto Rico.

Rambutans are a non-climacteric fruit—that is, they ripen only on the tree.

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Mangosteen

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The purple mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana), colloquially known simply as mangosteen, is a tropical evergreen tree believed to have originated in the Sunda Islands and the Moluccas of Indonesia. It grows mainly in Southeast Asia, and also in tropical South American countries such as Colombia, in the state of Kerala in India and in Puerto Rico,where the tree has been introduced. The tree grows from 6 to 25 m (20–82 ft) tall.fruit of the mangosteen is sweet and tangy, juicy, and somewhat fibrous, with an inedible, deep reddish-purple colored rind (exocarp) when ripe. In each fruit, the fragrant edible flesh that surrounds each seed is botanically endocarp, i.e., the inner layer of the ovary. The purple mangosteen belongs to the same genus as the other, less widely known, mangosteens, such as the button mangosteen (G. prainiana) or the charichuelo (G. madruno).

A description of mangosteen was included in the Species Plantarum by Linnaeus in 1753.

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Durian

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The durian /ˈdjʊriən/ is the fruit of several tree species belonging to the genus Durio and the family Malvaceae (although some taxonomists place Durio in a distinct family, Durionaceae

Regarded by many people in southeast Asia as the "king of fruits", the durian is distinctive for its large size, strong odour, and formidable thorn-covered husk. The fruit can grow as large as 30 centimetres (12 in) long and 15 centimetres (6 in) in diameter, and it typically weighs one to three kilograms (2 to 7 lb). Its shape ranges from oblong to round, the colour of its husk green to brown, and its flesh pale yellow to red, depending on the species.

The edible flesh emits a distinctive odour that is strong and penetrating even when the husk is intact. Some people regard the durian as pleasantly fragrant; others find the aroma overpowering and revolting. The smell evokes reactions from deep appreciation to intense disgust, and has been described variously as rotten onions, turpentine, and raw sewage. The persistence of its odour has led to the fruit's banishment from certain hotels and public transportation in southeast Asia.

The durian, native to southeast Asia, has been known to the Western world for about 600 years. The nineteenth-century British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace famously described its flesh as "a rich custard highly flavoured with almonds". The flesh can be consumed at various stages of ripeness, and it is used to flavour a wide variety of savoury and sweet edibles in Southeast Asian cuisines. The seeds can also be eaten when cooked.

There are 30 recognised Durio species, at least nine of which produce edible fruit. Durio zibethinus is the only species available in the international market: other species are sold in their local regions. There are hundreds of durian cultivars; many consumers express preferences for specific cultivars, which fetch higher prices in the market.

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Malaysia Shrimp Paste

06:01 |

BELACAN (PRONOUNCED BUH-LAH-CHAN) IS ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR DISH IN MALAYSIA AND ALWAYS BE ONE OF THE INGREDIENT IN MALAYSIAN COOKERY. UNLIKE THE OILY, GARLICKY SHRIMP PASTE USED IN THAI CURRIES, BELACAN IS A HARDENED BLOCK OF SHRIMP PASTE, MADE FROM TINY SHRIMP MIXED WITH SALT AND FERMENTED. THE FERMENTED PASTE IS THEN GROUND INTO A SMOOTHER PASTE, THEN SUN DRIED, SHAPED INTO BLOCKS, AND ALLOWED TO FERMENT AGAIN. THE RESULTING BLOCKS ARE CHALKY AND ONLY SLIGHTLY MOIST. POWERFUL IN BOTH SMELL AND TASTE, BELACAN IS ALWAYS TOASTED AND USED IN SMALL QUANTITIES, PROVIDING A SAVORY DEPTH TO CURRIES AND PASTES. (PLAY AROUND WITH THE AMOUNT OF BELACAN YOU PREFER IN YOUR SAMBALS. IF, LIKE ME, YOU ALWAYS ADD MORE THAN THE RECOMMENDED NUMBER OF ANCHOVIES TO YOUR CAESAR SALAD DRESSINGS, YOU MAY JUST WANT TO ADD AN EXTRA HALF TEASPOON OR SO OF BELACAN TO YOUR SAMBALS!)