As a grower, one of the best parts of what we do is seeing people enjoy our fruit. It’s a real buzz. It’s important to us everyone who chooses our Kiwano gets the most out of one of our little beauties. To help you experience the flavour at it’s best, we’ve put together a easy menu of our 3 best ways to eat Kiwano. All you’ll need is just one Enzed Exotics Kiwano and a few simple ingredients.
But before we get started, let’s cover off a few basics.
What part do I eat?
Inside the Kiwano’s golden spiky skin is a delicious vibrant green pulp. This is made up of tiny slim seeds encased in green “jelly” sacs. It’s a cool texture, like eating a loose jelly, and you don’t really notice the seeds. The skin is edible but it doesn’t have the same flavour as the pulp.
For those that haven’t tried our Kiwano before, we describe the taste as a refreshingly fruity mix of banana, passionfruit and lime. It’s a clean, subtle flavour which is delicious fresh, in drinks, served dessert-style or in a savoury dish.
Our fruit is naturally grown, a low intensity approach in which we choose not to use harsh chemicals, pesticides or sprays. Not only is it better for the earth, we believe it gives our fruit a true purity of flavour. (You can read more about our farming philosophy here.)
How do I get the pulp out?
Kiwano slice easily. Hold the Kiwano gently on a board or bench and use a knife to slice down the middle or lengthways. There are 3 main ways to remove the pulp:
- Scoop: Push a knife into the pulp several times to loosen it away from the skin. Then take a spoon and scoop out the pulp into a bowl
- Squeeze: As above, push a knife into the half Kiwano in several different places just to loosen the pulp. Using both hands, hold it gently between the spikes and squeeze the pulp into a bowl or glass.
- Muddle: cut your Kiwano in half lengthways. Take a spoon and push it repeatedly into the pulp, so that the pulp all comes away from the edge of the skin.
Now that you’ve got the preparation sorted, let’s get into the fun part.
3 of the best ways to eat Kiwano
This Kiwano menu is what we usually serve visitors when they come to visit us at our packhouse in Te Puke, New Zealand (our fields are about a 10-minute drive towards the coast). If they come for lunch we’ll do some of Vanessa’s jackfruit tacos with our not-yet-world-famous-but-should-be Kiwano and Pineapple Salsa. And you don’t have to push us too hard to whip up a Kiwano cocktail if it’s getting towards the end of the day!
For your tasting menu we’ve selected 3 ways to eat Kiwano that require minimal extra ingredients, but really let the flavour of Kiwano shine.
Starter: Fresh Kiwano
Main: Chilli Kiwano
Dessert: Kiwano and Vanilla Yogurt
You’ll need one Kiwano per person. Place the Kiwano on a chopping board and slice lengthways down the middle. Set one half aside to use in the Chilli Kiwano recipe. With the other half, use a spoon to scoop the pulp into a bowl. Ok, you’re ready to go!
1. Fresh Kiwano
For your first course, eat half the pulp from the bowl fresh (set the rest aside to use in the Kiwano and Vanilla Yogurt). As a grower this is one of our favourite ways to eat it. Kiwano is packed with health benefits and is so refreshing, it really feels like we’re doing our bodies a good thing. Usually when we eat Kiwano fresh we cut it into wedges and eat it like an orange, or just scoop it straight from the skin.
Ok ready for your next course? Take the unused half to use in this recipe:
2. Chilli Kiwano
This recipe is different, and really opens people up to the possibilities of Kiwano. It’s also our head grower Alan’s favourite way to eat Kiwano (and given he’s been growing them for more than 30 years, that’s saying something!). Chilli Kiwano is a healthy and filling snack when you want something to excite your tastebuds.
What you’ll need:
- 1/2 Enzed Exotics Kiwano (sliced lengthways)
- ½ fresh lime
- Tabasco sauce
- Sea salt
What to do:
- Slice Kiwano in half lengthways
- Hold the Kiwano and using a teaspoon “muddle” the pulp so that it comes away from the skin and pith.
- Place the Kiwano on a board and squeeze over the juice of ½ a lime.
- Sprinkle over several generous drops of tabasco.
- To finish, grind sea salt on top.
- Eat with a spoon!
3. Kiwano and Vanilla Yogurt
Now it’s time for “dessert” (or pudding as we say in New Zealand). It’s so simple and healthy you could eat it any time of the day. Another option is to serve it with vanilla ice-cream instead of yogurt (though you probably couldn’t get away with that at breakfast…or could you? ; )
What you’ll need
- Kiwano pulp
- Vanilla flavoured yogurt
What to do:
- Place a few spoonfuls of vanilla yogurt in a small bowl and top with the Kiwano pulp.
So, what did you think? Favourites? Did it give you ideas for new things you’d like to try? These are our best ways to eat Kiwano, but the other thing we love more than anything is hearing yours!o
