The Dragon Fruit or popularly known as Pitaya is an extremely beautiful fruit that has dazzling flowers and an intense shape and color. The dragon fruit is usually a dark red color, although some types of this fruit are pink or yellow. The skin of the dragon fruit is a thin rind. The skin is usually covered in scales, and the center of the fruit is made up of a red or white, sweet tasting pulp.
The Dragon Fruit is best eaten by cutting the fruit in half and scooping the flesh out. The flavor is very refreshing and sweet. Dragon fruit can also be made into wine, fruit juice, or jam. It is an excellent source of fiber, potassium, calcium and vitamin C.
Dragon Fruit Jelly
Ingredients:
- 25 – 30 grams agar-agar (jelly)
- 100 grams sugar
- 1 liter water
- 200 grams of dragon fruit (red variety, cut into 1cm cubes)
- 3 pieces pandan leaves (knotted)
Procedures:
- Bring water to boil in a pot.
- Add sugar, agar-agar and pandan leaves.
- Stir on medium low heat till sugar and agar-agar dissolved.
- Once sugar and agar-agar completely dissolved, turn off heat. Discard pandan leaves.
- Pour mixture onto a suitable 2 inch deep tray or moulding and drop dragon fruit cubes into the mixture.
- Allow to cool down before chilling it in the fridge.
Dragon Fruit Jam
Ingredients:
- 1 kg dragon fruits, cubed
- 1 kg sugar, white
- 10 ml (1 tbsp.) calamansi juice or 1.25g (1/4 tsp) citric acid
- 5 tsp pectin powder (should be mixed with sugar)
Procedures:
- Select ripe but firm dragon fruits.
- Wash dragon fruits in running water to remove all dirts.
- Blanch the dragon fruits by dipping them in hot water. Dipping will help reduce the microbial load.
- Remove peel and cubed.
- Combine dragon fruits, calamansi juice, and water into a non-stick pot.
- Simmer over medium heat until the fruit became soft & juicy.
- Add in sugar and leave to boil by increasing the heat.
- Keep stirring the mixture constantly until thickened.
- Remove the jam from the heat immediately after setting point is reached. To keep the fruit from rising to the top of the finished product, stir the mixture for five minutes at frequent intervals after cooking. Stir gently to prevent air bubbles from forming in the jam.
- Hot-filled the jam into sterile glass jars with lid. The temperature should be 82-85oC. If the filling temperature is too hot, the steam will condense on the inside of the lid and drop down onto the surface of the product. This will dilute the product’s surface making it vulnerable to microbial attack. Set them aside to cool undisturbed for proper gel formation.
Dragon Fruit Puree
Procedures for making Dragon Fruit Juice:
- Wash dragon fruits in running water to remove all dirts.
- Remove undesirable parts.
- Cut in quarters and peel off the skin. Peeling can be conveniently done by hand like the peel of mango.
- Blend in waring blender. Adjust sugar content to 15 degree Brix. If refractometer is not available, add sugar until the sweetness is comparable to ripe grapes.
- Pasteurize at 15 degree C for 15 minutes.
- Pack immediately in air tight bottle and seal.
Note: Adding preservatives to prolong shelf life can be done but not recommended.
Sources: foodrecap.net and deliciousasianfood.com