Tis the season for tropical fruits again. While there has always been the standard fare of mangoes, persimmons, apples, oranges, it was really startling to notice rambutans. (Seemed like the year has passed so fast)

Rambutans - the hairy fruit that is shocking red with white flesh and a great big seed in the center.

Everyone...meet 'Hairy' the Rambutan

I bought this bunch of rambutans at the Admiralty wet market, but while they were nice and big and round, they were not very juicy. I must admit that while the flesh had the 'glow' (you can see it from the picture), I have eaten better.

To best describe the rambutan, it tastes sweet - almost sugary, but I seem to have this habit of always encountering the husk of the seed together with the fruit in my mouth.

If it were a hot sunny afternoon, I could probably finish the whole bunch in one sitting.

This is no soursop - its a Custard Apple

And what do you know? I Found Custard Apples at the market as well. Its like one of the rarest fruits of the season. Okay...not really rare but whenever I chance upon some custard apples they were always small and unripe. Well, my stars must be shining on me - there were ripe custard apples on sale - and they were huge too!

 My name is Custard Apple a.k.a Bull's heart a.k.a Bullock's heart.....nothing more, what were you expecting?

Now, the custard apple looks almost exactly like a soursop. The same white flesh, the same black seeds - though as the name of a soursop states - its sour, while the custard apple is nothing but sweet. Its also known as the Sweetsop in some countries.

(Ha! and when I exclaimed that it was a soursop at the market [ it slipped my mind ], the lao ban niang screamed : "NOOOOO! Its custard apple. Soursop I don't sell. The other shop got sell". The similarity of the species justifies my error)

I think almost anyone will enjoy the custard apple; they taste just like custard apples (...-.-...). The moment you slice them open, you are embraced with the heavenly "pang" (smell..I mean aroma).

Love the fruit, love getting the seeds out one by one before eating, but my only gripe about this fruit is how the skin is oh so easily stuck together with the flesh if you really scrape the shell. Oh well, this is how nature made them.

Okay...as promised, up next is my new recipe for bananas =)