By Wilfred Pilo
KUCHING, Aug 13: The drool-worthy kuini fruit or kwini mango is now plentiful and is in season.
Locals who had it once will not forget the fruity odour of the yellowish-green kuini fruit and the taste of its juicy, yellowish-orange pulp.
Depending on your palate, the sweet pulp could be turned into a fruit salad and savoury dishes like the mouth-watering ‘sambal kuini’.
Those with culinary skills could make it into chutney and preserve it as an ingredient to make dishes or to eat later.
The seasonal demand means the fruit could be sold individually at RM1 or RM8 to RM10 per kilogram by vendors. This popular fruit is often sold out by the end of the day.
A fruit seller told DayakDaily that the kunai he sold was from a few selected farmers he knew and had grown a few good varieties on their farm or at the back of their house.
“The fruit that I sell are chosen and properly selected. When ripe, the fruit will naturally drop. It should not be plucked from the fruit tree if you want it to ripen properly.
“Some people cannot differentiate between local kuini and mango as both are round and oblong-shaped. The main distinction between the two fruits is in the smell. Kuini has a more fruity smell with a more yellowish-green tone when ripe,” he said.
He said some people complain of having an itchy or burning sensation on their lips or throat after consuming the fruit.
“My advice is, after you wash and peel the fruit, do not eat it immediately.
“Soak it with a pinch of salt or a few drops of vinegar. I always have mine with a plate of hot rice and consume it with other dishes,” he shared. — DayakDaily
