When I first came to Malaysia, I was introduced to a plethora of exotic new foods. One of them is the strange-looking fruit called pulasan (scientific name: Nephelium mutabile). From a distance, the fruit’s overall look reminds you of the rambutan but instead of being hairy, it’s kinda spongy and the colour is deeper, more towards maroon-brown versus the rambutan’s bright red colour. It is said to be native to Western Malaysia, cultivated in certain parts of Southeast Asia but rarely found elsewhere.
DH told me that the fruit is a cousin of the rambutan and used to be quite rare, usually found in forests. Nowadays, people plant pulasan trees, thus this curious-looking fruit is not that rare a sight in Malaysian fruit stands and the nearby pasar tani (farmer’s market).
To open the fruit, you need to twist its thick, almost rubbery, skin. They say that’s how it got its name, as pulas means ‘to twist’. As soon as the skin breaks open, it reveals the juicy fruit hidden inside, which, at first glance, also looks very much like the rambutan. Its texture is very different though — whereas the rambutan’s flesh has a solid feel, the pulasan has more juice than fibre. Its taste and texture remind me of the longan and lychee but without the distinctive longan and lychee aromas. And the pulasan is definitely sweeter than the rambutan. Just be careful with all that twisting because some of the maroon sap will stick to your hands and may stain your clothes, just like mangosteen skin would.
Strangely (at least, for me), the Wikipedia in Bahasa Melayu says that pulasan is also known as bulala in the Philippines, yet I’ve never encountered it in my two-decade stay in the land of my birth.
Note: This pic is an example of how washed out the colours look when one uses the built-in flash of the camera, whether it’s point-and-shoot or DSLR. Sorry for the mediocre pic as I was in a hurry — Lola was waiting for me to finish taking the pic so that she could eat the yummy fruits! ;)
The exotic fruits in Malaysia are heaven to my palate!
looks lovely… haven’t tried it yet but would love to. I love rambutan as well. I presume it taste more or less like rambutan as you mentioned they’re “cousins”..
So that’s how pulasan tastes like…similar texture to longan/lychee and sweeter than rambutan. I had never dared buy this fruit in case I end up not liking the taste.
Agree with you on your comment about the washed out colour with camera flashes. That’s why I always try to take photos without flash, but that’s another challenge coz the photos sometimes come out blurry instead using my PNS.
Will get to doing the Google image tag soon. Must be fun.
Mimi! I got your package! I squealed in the office when it was delivered to me, which prompted my officemates to come ask what the matter was, and I had to lie and say something mundane, because I really didn’t want to share those treats! ;) I’ll blog a thank-you post soon.
And yes, flash=ick. That’s why I try to cook/bake on the weekends, when I know there’s time to photograph food in morning light. I hate resorting to the yellow light in the house at night.
And as for this post on pulasan, I’m telling my dad about it! He’s an agriculturist and grows several rambutan trees back home, and he’ll be so interested in this. I haven’t eaten rambutan in ages! Thanks for sharing. :)
hehe, lola reminds me of kj. he always asks me, “so am i allowed to eat now?” because i was always snapping pictures of the food. :)
avril: yup. and they’re guilt-free & 100% fat-free too!
grace: try them one of these days.
a-mom’s-diary: i can’t wait to see your answers.
j: i’m happy the package reached you. hope you enjoyed it. no need for a post on it. small matter lah ;) maybe one day i can send some pulasan to your dad?
odette: lol on that one!