poached feijoas.
Is a life without Feijoas unthinkable or is this little green oval a mystery to you?
The Feijoa or Pineapple Guava is an egg-shaped fruit with a thin lime-green skin. The flesh inside is cream-coloured and encases a jelly-like centre. The texture is gritty, close to that of a pear. The flesh tastes like a combination of several other fruits, usually described as pineapple, guava, and strawberry.
Whether you're a lover or just a little curious know that the season is only 10-12 weeks long, so make the most of it!
If you're a Kiwi, it's very likely you're on the verge of addiction when it comes to Feijoas. When they're in season you can't get enough of them and when they're out of season you can't get them off your mind. For many who grew up in New Zealand, a feijoa tree in the back yard or a neighbours back yard was the norm - now a distant dream from Hong Kong.
While we can't deny that simply, cutting them open and scooping the flesh with a teaspoon is the way to go; there are so many great recipes using feijoas too. Crumbles, cakes, smoothies and muffins are all well and good but they don't last too long. We'd recommend making something that's got a little more life so even when the fresh feijoas are gone you're able to continue to enjoy them.
For this reason, jams, chutneys and ice creams are great! Our recipe isn't for any of those but there are some great ones out there on the internet - have a look!
Our recipe is super simple and should keep in the fridge for about two weeks BUT if you have some glass jars on hand we'd recommend sealing them properly as this will give you months of life out of them so you can enjoy the delicious sweet-sour feijoa flavour at any time.
If you're wanting to do this, the key is to correctly sterilise your jars and lids. You don't want any bacterial contamination ruining your precious feijoas. Sounds quite serious, doesn't it? But it's easy! To sterilise the jars, pop into the oven at 120°C for at least 15 minutes, and boil lids in a pot for 10 minutes.
If you make this recipe, be sure to share it with us on Instagram! We love seeing our foodies creations. Just tag us @eatthekiwi_hk
INGREDIENTS
- apple juice 1 litre
- sugar ½ cup
- star anise 2
- cinnamon sticks 2
- cloves 4
- orange zest 1 tablespoon, grated
- feijoas 20 firm but ripe feijoas (aprox. 3kg)
- lemon ½
Place juice, sugar, spices and zest in a large pan and bring to a simmer. Fill a large bowl with cold water and set aside.
- Slice each feijoa in half and scoop the flesh from inside using a teaspoon. Quickly place into a bowl of cold water with a squeeze of lemon juice - this helps to prevent them from going brown.
- Slice feijoas into thirds or halves (depending on size - you want them to be equally sized so they cook evenly) and add to the simmering pot juice mixture. Simmer for 5-8 minutes or until fruit is just tender. It should still hold its shape.
- Tip cooled fruit and liquid into a glass bowl, cover and refrigerate (it will keep for up to two weeks.
- Serve with vanilla ice cream or over your breakfast cereal or porridge – they're delicious either hot or cold.
