Pulasan

Nephelium ramboutan-ake · Tropical fruit

40 pairings

The pulasan (Nephelium ramboutan-ake) is a close relative of the rambutan, a tropical tree fruit of the soapberry family native to Peninsular Malaysia and western Indonesia. Its thick, leathery, dark-red to maroon rind is studded not with the long curling hairs of a rambutan but with short, blunt, fleshy spines, and inside lies a thick, glistening, translucent white aril that is sweeter and less acidic than rambutan — honeyed, gently floral and grapey — and which in good cultivars peels cleanly off the seed. It is eaten fresh out of hand and is prized in Southeast Asia as one of the sweetest of the rambutan group.

Picking a good onedrag

Dark red, taut, heavyDull, shrunken, sour

Sound but stiffeningRind duller and drier, the aril still thick and honey-sweet. Open one before committing to a bag, and set the big seed aside as you eat.Eat soon

Rind colourGood colour, a paler patch where it sat in the cluster

Rind and spinesRind firm and thick, a few spines drying at the tips

Stalk and scarOff the stalk, the scar dry, pale and closed

SmellA little honeyed sweetness close to the stem scar

What to look for, from dark red, taut, heavy to dull, shrunken, sour.

Preparing