How To Choose Cempedak

How To Choose Cempedak

 

To buy a good cempedak the first thing you must do is to see if it is ripe. Like all fruits if it is fragrant then it is ripe. The next thing is to see if it is heavy. Being weighty is an indication that it has a lot of flesh encased within. Then press it and see if it is slightly soft to the touch. If it is then it is good.

How to cut it open to get to the starchy and fibrous flesh

 

Firstly, cover your hands with two plastic bags or wear a pair of disposable plastic gloves to prevent latex from sticking to your hands because when cut, the skin of the cempedak oozes out a white latex. This latex will stick to the knife and is difficult to remove. To avoid that, you rub cooking oil on the blade of the knife then you cut the cempedak open. By oiling the knife you reduce the amount of latex sticking to the knife. Make a cut of about half a cm into the skin from top to bottom. Cut on both sides, then use both hands to press the cempedak on both sides to split it open. Then you use a fork to dig out the flesh.

Spoilt for choice

Two ripe and fragrant cempedaks

The starchy and fibrous flesh

Golden-looking, sweet and fragrant smelling cempedak flesh are a perfect dessert.