# Rambutan?



## skilletlicker (Oct 8, 2019)

Saw these sea urchin looking things in the produce department and curiosity got the better of me. Tastes like a "not very flavorful" grape. There is an outer skin on the seed, part of which wants to stick to the fruit and has to be cut off or spit out. Have eight left. Any suggestions?


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## taxlady (Oct 8, 2019)

Once peeled, that looks like lychee or longan. I just munch them. I have had lychee in a fruit salad. They are not very strongly flavoured, but I like the interesting, subtle flavours. I don't like them enough to spend what they cost very often.


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## GotGarlic (Oct 9, 2019)

I have a recipe for sweet and sour chicken using lychees instead of pineapple.


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## skilletlicker (Oct 9, 2019)

Quite enjoyed the remaining eight Rambutan. Would love to have them again if only...
Turns out Rambutan are either freestone or clingstone variety. Mine were obviously clingstone. Peeling the flesh away from the seed then trying to cut away the clinging husk is a fool's chore I'll never try again. Better to just carve around the seed like a tiny mango, wasting a fair portion of flesh. Even better, assuming they taste as good, would be to only buy the freestone variety but there was only one guy in the store the other day who even knew what they are and he had never eaten one.

Thanks for the intel about lychee and longan. Far as I know never had either of them either but will keep my eyes peeled. I was going to make a fruit salad with rambutan, kiwi, and bananas but after the long seed struggle, I was so famished from the exertion that I just wolfed them down instead.


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## dragnlaw (Oct 12, 2019)

My first thought when I looked at the picture was a Lychee.  Never heard of Rambutan before.  

Often see Lychee both fresh and canned at the grocers.  Never been tempted to peel or prepare the fresh.  I have tasted them but haven't felt the flavour warranted buying a can.  Maybe for something extra special to try, just not yet. 

Googled and came up with this... difference between  
How accurate? no idea, at least a base to start with...


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## taxlady (Oct 12, 2019)

dragnlaw said:


> My first thought when I looked at the picture was a Lychee.  Never heard of Rambutan before.
> 
> Often see Lychee both fresh and canned at the grocers.  Never been tempted to peel or prepare the fresh.  I have tasted them but haven't felt the flavour warranted buying a can.  Maybe for something extra special to try, just not yet.
> 
> ...



That was an interesting read. However, according to Wikipedia, rombutan seeds can be cooked and eaten.


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## dragnlaw (Oct 12, 2019)

hmm...  I didn't go back to the site to reread but I'm thinking that she did mention a seed could be eaten.


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## taxlady (Oct 13, 2019)

dragnlaw said:


> hmm...  I didn't go back to the site to reread but I'm thinking that she did mention a seed could be eaten.



I thought the author said you couldn't eat the seed. Well, it should be cooked first.


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## dragnlaw (Oct 13, 2019)

LOL - got me *taxy*!  I've searched and searched (and you are correct, she DID say the seeds were NOT edible) but I can't find anywhere that says you can eat them, cooked or not.  

In fact one site says that due to certain toxic elements in the seeds children and animals especially should not eat them.  That's all it said, nothing further.  Another site said all three seeds contain a toxin that affects glucose levels somehow and other affects on the brain, especially in children and I assume therefore also in the elderly or health compromised individuals.  

Again, I only went to a couple of sites.

So what makes you believe that they are edible?


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## skilletlicker (Oct 13, 2019)

Whilst I was investigating,  I came across 
statements that they are toxic to humans and that they are edible when cooked. Having had the opportunity to spit some out, y'all are welcome to my share.


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## skilletlicker (Oct 13, 2019)

Went to Kroger early this morning just because I wanted a walking destination. They had 15 of the rambutan I bought there 5 days ago left on the shelf. The best of that store's produce men was there and I commented that their look wasn't improving with age. He marked all 15 down to 99¢. Should come to about 12 ounces when peeled and seeded.

Looked at some fruit salad recipes but nothing struck me. Think I'm going to combine the rambutan with kiwi and fresh Bulgarian feta. Dress with EVOO, lime juice, and honey. Won't do that for a few hours so open to suggestions.

Ripped out and threw away my mint plant recently. Wishing I had some of it now.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Oct 14, 2019)

The rambutan, lychee, and longan berries are close cousins.  All three are in the same genus and grow in Southeast Asia.    The rambutan is the sweetest, and largest of the threr, while the lychee  is the most bland.  The longan is sour.  The skin and seeds are considered inedible, though they are sometimes roasted and eaten. It is not considred wise, like eating beefsteak mushrooms.

Rambutan can be made into jellies and jams, or cobined with sliced bananas in a sweet, creamy sauce.  They can be added to a simple syrup, then cooled and served with a lime sherbert, or sorbet.  They are also great when eaten like grapes.  To remove the skin, cut off the stem end and pinch from the top.  The fruit should pop ouy.

Rambutan flesh is high in nutritioal value, low in callories, and rich in both solubal, and insolubal fiber, which both feefs the gurt floutra and aids in moving food waste out of the body.

The freinds we share our New Year's Eve with introduced us to both lyche and rasmuta.  I lke both of them.  My wife prefers the sweeter rasmutan.  When purchasing, the redder the skin, the riper the fruit.

I hope  this has been helpful.

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


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## taxlady (Oct 14, 2019)

I bought a portion of longan a few months ago. They were not sour. They were delicious and very reminiscent of lychee.


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## larry_stewart (Oct 14, 2019)

Mangosteen are another fruit, with similar taste to Lychee and Rambutan.
I came across them in NYC China town a few years back.  
Im an Exotic Fruit and Vegetable Junky. 
I go into every ethnic market I pass and head straight to the produce aisle.
Ill buy anything that I've never heard of or tasted before. just to try.
Anyway, Mangosteen look like small round eggplants.
They are about t he nice of a baseball and the outer purple skin is thick and relatively hard.
When you slice it open ( try to cut it in 1/2 but not through and though, so the inner pieces don't get cut in half), the inside almost looks like a bunch of peeled garlic cloves.
They are soft, similar in texture to a Lychee or Rambutan , Maybe a littler firmer, not as juicy ( if I remember correctly) and sweet with a similar taste.
I do remember they were very expensive.
My location ,market  carries weird exotic stuff from time to time, and had them about a month ago, I was excited and bought a few.  Unfortunately, they were I guess a little old, so the inside was a little dried up and not so good.   
Sometimes its better to stick to the ethnic stores for exotic fruits and veggies.  At least thats my experience.


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## jennyema (Oct 15, 2019)

We’re leaving soon for a trip to Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia so I’m hoping to eat me some Rambutan.  Will snap pics and post them for you.

I see them in Asian markets but can remember eating it only once or twice in some sort of drink


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## jennyema (Oct 21, 2019)

jennyema said:


> We’re leaving soon for a trip to Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia so I’m hoping to eat me some Rambutan.  Will snap pics and post them for you.
> 
> I see them in Asian markets but can remember eating it only once or twice in some sort of drink




Reporting from Thailand ... not a day has gone by that we haven’t been offered some rambutan....  I will post pics when I can


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## skilletlicker (Oct 21, 2019)

jennyema said:


> Reporting from Thailand ... not a day has gone by that we haven’t been offered some rambutan....  I will post pics when I can


Does the skin of the seed stick to the fruit. Any evidence of freestone vs clingstone varieties.


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