Rizzanino “Riz” Reyes
Northwest Asia Weekly
View image of Sariwa Farm in Woodinville (Credit: Rizanino “Riz” Reyes)
The supply of unusual Asian fruits and vegetables has grown substantially over the years, and demand for them appears to be at an all-time high.
Across the West Coast, more and more people are expanding their options as more healthy eating and overall wellness trends bring about a growing demand for alternative food options and, for Asians, unusual Options are emerging and becoming more accessible to the community, to re-enjoy the passion for ingredients, and to prepare dishes that are as authentic as possible to their hometown.
While most of these increasingly popular commodities originate in warmer climates and are produced commercially, the high demand for locally grown organically grown fruits and vegetables has sparked interest among local farmers in Western Washington to grow them during the warmest months.
Ataulfo Mango (Source: Rizanino “Riz” Reyes)
Tropical fruits have long been limited to a handful of common favorites, such as bananas, pineapples, and the occasional papaya and mango found at your local grocery store. But during the summer months, a variety of uncommon fruits can often be found.
Three closely related tropical fruits that you may come across and may be curious about are members of a very complex plant family that actually includes the Japanese maple. At Asian grocery stores, you may find clusters of fruit wrapped in mesh bags. These are usually tan longans, golf ball-sized lychees and fluffy exotic rambutans.
View image of Rambutan in a box (Credit: Rizanino “Riz” Reyes)
Luscious lychees are similar in structure but have a mild flavor reminiscent of grapes with floral aromas. It occurs during warm summer months and usually comes from Central America. The structure of the rambutan fruit is the same, but with a very distinctive skin and protruding hair. Once on, it is almost like a roll-on lip balm. Its pulp is firmer than its relatives, but has a sweet, mild, grape-like taste, perhaps with a hint of strawberry and rose.
We can find longan almost all year round. The name “Longyan” was coined in Chinese, meaning “longan”. The shell-like skin is pierced to reveal a very sweet, translucent fruit and hard black seeds.
Dragon fruit from your local Asian grocery store. (Credit: Rizzanino “Riz” Reyes)
When it comes to dragons, one of the most interesting tropical fruits is the dragon fruit, commonly known as the dragon fruit. Its brightly colored, almost neon-pink skin with green/yellow “scales” is widely grown in many tropical regions and has become a popular ingredient in trendy fruit bowls and energy shakes. You may come across three main varieties: two that are nearly identical in appearance, but one is white fleshy, and the other is a vibrant almost iridescent pink. According to some, the smaller yellow variant is less common, usually much smaller in size, but has white pulp and the best flavor of all three options, as dragon fruit is usually mild in flavor and almost bland in flavor.
Yellow dragon fruit (Credit: Rizanino “Riz” Reyes)
Rambutan is a staple food in the tropics and is loved by many Asian cultures, especially in Vietnam where it is called “chôm chôm”. Once upon a time, a handful of people would encounter rotting-looking dead sea urchins at the grocery store, with exaggerated pilose hairs, imported from Asia during the winter, and at ridiculously high prices. Now that they are being grown in parts of Central America, fresher shipments of this fascinating fruit can be found in mid to late summer.
Just a few years ago, jackfruit entered the mainstream, most likely because it was used as a meat substitute in its immature stage. Surprisingly, unusual fruits such as fresh jackfruit (a close relative to the more well-known but very strong-smelling delicious durian) are sometimes found at Costco. Extracting the very sweet pulp takes some work, and often requires YouTube tutorials to help those who haven’t undergone the seemingly surgical procedure to prepare to remove the edible parts.
It’s not just fruits that are making a splash, Asian vegetables are becoming more abundant, and the sheer variety can be overwhelming for those unfamiliar. However, the satisfaction of many customers from different cultures with certain leafy greens is always worth a look, as it reminds many of their home country. While there’s nothing like being in a hustle and bustle of open markets, raucous hawkers promoting their kebabs, and many customers haggling for the best price, you can still hear the excitement and name of the dishes they can prepare with them.
While many of these vegetables are still imported, most often from California, specialty vegetables are starting to appear at local farmers’ markets and grocery stores as local farmers seek to fill a unique niche.
Filipino and Hmong farmers in the Northwest, more associated with the luxurious flowers they offer, are exploring the possibilities of crops they often grow for themselves and their communities, but even home gardeners are finding these more unusual options and want them in their gardens and kitchens.
Asian eggplants are chosen to be longer, thinner and firmer than the more common Italian eggplants. In fact, many gardeners find them easier to grow because they don’t have to get that big. The firmer texture makes it suitable for cooking at higher temperatures, such as stir-fries, and can also be used in soups and stews without falling apart.
A long bunch of beans is a must for stews or stir-fries. Chinese long beans, or “sitaw” as they are called in the Philippines, require a long growing season with a sturdy trellis to climb so the 24-inch pods can fully develop. Planting and harvesting is very labor-intensive, but it is very popular. Seedlings start indoors and get a head start before planting in June when the weather warms up.
Meanwhile, the beans were sown, and bitter gourd was also started indoors and proved its yield during the short northwest summer. Despised by almost all Asian kids who are forced to eat and adults who now occasionally crave it, bitter melon, or “bitter melon” in Chinese, is similar in appearance to a cucumber, but it is bitter but is said to be good for blood circulation, Regulate diabetes, lower cholesterol.
While many of these fruits and vegetables can be found in grocery stores, by far the best options can be found in larger Asian markets such as North Seattle’s Asian Family Center and Bellevue, Edmonds’ Ranch 99, Seafood City in Southcenter, Uwashimaya locations, Seattle’s Chinatown International District (with several produce vendors nearby) and Futura Market in Seattle’s Beacon Hill. While many of these fruits can be found throughout the year, summer always yields the best options.
Whether you grew up eating these fruits and vegetables or just want to explore the potential of your ever-changing color palette, now is a great time to see what you can pick and add to your next grocery list.
