Bangkok Chronicles: A fruity paradise

One of the unmeasurable joys of being in a tropical country is the variety of fruits and vegetables on offer. Long before national governments began to persuade us to have our '5 A Day', both my grandmothers, several aunties, and of course my parents were already on the case.

Thailand is indeed a delight for fruit-lovers. As a vegetarian I live by one simple mantra: to try each and every type of fruit, vegetable and edible plant that is available in my geography.

Having spent a significant part of my life in India, I reckoned there would be little to surprise me in Southeast Asia. How mistaken I was! Perhaps it was a consequence of growing up in north India. It is entirely possible that the fruit and veg (F&V) that I consider exotic in Thailand has long existed in some parts of the Indian sub-continent.  

During my first few months in Bangkok, each visit to the F&V section of a supermarket revealed at least one new thing I had never set my eyes upon before. After excitedly sharing these new finds with friends and family,  I felt there may be some value in doing a photo-catalogue for would-be visitors. 

The Dragon Fruit

I first tasted a white fruit with little black seeds many years ago on a flight. I did not even know its name at that point. It was only a few years ago that I saw it in an uncut form and connected the dots. The most dragon fruits have a bright pink outer flesh which is easy to cut. The fruit inside can be scooped out neatly and is either white or a deep purple (beetroot-like in colour). Some people call it a tasteless fruit but I disagree. It has distinctive albeit mild taste, varying in sweetness. The yellow-skinned variety is somewhat rare.

Durian

Those familiar with the Marmite/ Vegemite debate can add durian to the list. You either love it or hate it. Unless you are 0.1% of the population like me: I still can't decide. A friend back in London has memories of being forced to eat durian as a child. She said it was worth trying one, if only for the experience.  For a while I remained unconvinced.  Eventually I did try it. And for this I must thank (if thank is the right word) a friend who is a die-hard durian fan and was convinced I was missing out on life. 

The verdict:  The inside has an unusual creamy texture which I liked. It certainly had a distinctive odour but this did not bother me when I had the first small piece in a big open food stall. Soon after, my durian-aficionado friend gifted a more expensive, better quality piece to take home. I tore the plastic wrapping (yes we need plastic for this sort of stuff) and yikes, this one was super strong! I took quick, large bites of it while holding my nose. Then put the remnants and the box in the bin. I could still smell it. I took the bin out and opened the balcony door. Finally the smell subsided. Whew.

Mangosteen

I saw these everywhere and had no idea what they were called. This is such a delightful little fruit. The local style is to twist and crack it open. Being slightly inexperienced, I used a knife to delicately cut the skin, upon which the soft white fruit can be scooped out. The fruit is usually sweet but can be tart if not fully ripe.

Rambutan

The rambutan always reminds me of a hairy alien being. It is possibly the scariest looking fruit I have come across.  I was reminded by my mother how we had bought a bagful on our trip to Bangkok in 2013 over a decade ago. The rambutan is a distant cousin of the spiky Indian litchi (lychee). Possibly a little less sweet, which works fine for most of us these days. 

Longan

I discovered that our good old litchis have a number of relatives. Apparently litchis, rambutan and longan all belong to the Soapberry Family. The botanists amongst you may have strong views on the genus and the species. The rest of us will be content to know that all of these fruits (or parts of the tree/ bark) can be used to make natural soap. As for the longan, it has a hard shell that peels off to reveal a fleshy white fruit. Mind the seed. 

As an aside, many visitors may have noted the excessive non bio-degradable packaging in the F&V sections. My plastic-guilt is at an all time high. Perhaps buying fruits from the back of the small farm-vans is a good option.

Sea-grapes

On my scale of 'exotic edible plants', I would give this a straight 10. Sea grape is a literal translation of  'umibudo'  which have long been considered a local delicacy in Okinawa, Japan. Since then they have found their way into other regions and cuisines. They occupy a place or pride in Thai supermarkets with their new found fame as 'vegan caviar' (!)

I learnt that sea-grapes are actually a type of algae. As per the Encyclopaedia Britannica, algae are not actually plants as they contain some features that do not exist in either plants or animals. That would put some of us in a moral dilemma. I have since decided that if our Vedic ancestors were exposed to sea-grapes, they would place it in an extended plant family of sorts. 

 The taste is predictably strong, as if one were eating a chunk of the ocean. They are somewhat crunchy but then pop into a strange taste. I am not describing it well but the Japanese would probably call it 'umami'. What I did learn was that they can be rinsed in cool water to take away that strong flavour. A nice way to enjoy them is with a light dipping sauce. I made a one with soy sauce and fresh ginger juice. It was surprisingly tasty. Other recipes suggest sesame oil and fresh lime in the dip, or a more western-style pairing with brie or goats cheese.

Starfruit

I have seen the starfruit several times in India and other countries. For some obscure reason I had never tried it. I thought it would be quite sour. I was therefore pleasantly surprised that a ripe starfruit isn't very tangy. Wait for it to turn yellow-green, then slice off the hard ridges, cut it horizontally into pretty star shapes and take a juicy bite.

 

Ripe Jackfruit

This is quite common in parts of the Indian sub-continent. I recall trying it for the first time in 2017 in Pune (west India) and had good memories. My purchase in Thailand felt different. I blame it on my post-covid olfactory distortion (parosmia) or perhaps the variety here is just stronger. I barely managed to finish these. 

I share another anecdote here. Like many South Asians, my extended family had access to jackfruit trees. The unripe version (kathal) is sticky and difficult to cut. But when cooked with Indian spices it is a scrumptious treat and a far cry from the usually uninspiring  'faux meat' jackfruit dishes that are are rising to global stardom. Let me also mention this hilarious Indian movie based on a real-life incident of stolen jackfruits (!)

Long Avocado,  Baby Plums and Yellow Watermelon 

No surprise, the same fruit can come in different shapes, sizes and colours depending on its place of origin or cultivation. This photo medley reveals just that.

The long avocado was lighter in flavour and less creamy that the pear-shaped ones. The baby plums were too sour for me and had to be promptly turned into an Indianized plum chutney.  The yellow watermelon  surprised me the most. At one point I closed my eyes to taste it again. Yes, it was a typical watermelon. As the saying goes, a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. 

Grilled Banana

I leave you with something that can only be described as peak indulgence (well it is either this or sticky rice and mango).

The omnipresent banana has been a favourite fruit since childhood. Easy to peel, tasty and ideal for a fast energy boost. In the past, I have been fortunate to try unusual varieties from south India including the exotic purple and red-skinned ones. At one point a banana and chocolate crepe was so high on my list that it temporarily displaced strawberries and Chantilly cream. These days I limit my banana intake in line with a self-imposed diet plan.

Grilled bananas are a Thai delicacy that I had successfully bypassed many times. Then, one day as I wandered by a popular food court at Terminal 21 (Asok), their  fragrance seemed to follow me everywhere. Eventually I succumbed. The vendor typically packs them with a caramel-coconut syrup. There are times in life when you know with complete certainty that something so 'more-ish' cannot be good for you. Nonetheless, there are moments one must savour and this was one of them.

Rest assured this fruit-filled journey shall continue. There are still some fruit varieties that I spot regularly but cannot name. A future post awaits. 

Till then, happy munching.

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