INTRODUCTION

First of all, I have to apologize that I got confused with term Yuzu and pomelo.. I was confused because of the Japanese Kanji 柚子 is different from the Chinese character 柚子. Though both characters are the same but Yuzu in Chinese is 香橙 and 柚子 for Chinese character means pomelo.. Are you as confused as me? Well, I hope not, I do not intend to change my picture wordings as the recipe is equally applicable to the preparation of yuzu jam if you are able to get hold of it.

This post is concerning pomelo or 柚子 or 文旦, another type of fruit in the citrus family. As per Wikipedia,

“Citrus maxima (or Citrus grandis), (Common names: shaddock, pomelo, pummelo, pommelo,pamplemousse, or shaddok) is a natural (non-hybrid) citrus fruit, with the appearance of a big grapefruit, native to South and Southeast Asia. It is usually pale green to yellow when ripe, with sweet white (or, more rarely, pink or red) flesh and very thick albedo (rind pith). It is a large citrus fruit, 15–25 centimetres (5.9–9.8 in) in diameter, usually weighing 1–2 kilograms (2.2–4.4 lb). Leaf petioles are distinctly winged. The fruit tastes like a sweet, mild grapefruit (which is itself believed to be a hybrid of Citrus maxima and the orange^[6]), though the typical shaddock is much larger than the grapefruit. It has none, or very little, of the common grapefruit’s bitterness, but the enveloping membranous material around the segments is bitter, considered inedible, and thus is usually discarded. The peel is sometimes used to make marmalade, can be candied, and is sometimes dipped in chocolate. In Brazil, the thick skin is often used for making a sweet conserve, while the middle is discarded. Citrus maxima is usually grafted onto other citrus rootstocks but can be grown from seed, provided the seeds are not allowed to dry out before planting.”Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomelo)

The benefits of pomelo are many and as per http://www.healthbenefitstimes.com/health-benefits-of-pomelos/, the 13 major benefits of pomelo includes the following. However, it is advised that you do some read up on the above link before you place reliance on such information,

• Prevent urinary tract infection

• Promote fast healing of wounds

• Promotes healthy teeth and gums

• Prevent anaemia

• Prevent colds and flu

• Regulate blood pressure levels

• Prevent osteoporosis

• Prevent leg cramps

• Cure Constipation

• Aids in weight loss

• Fights against Cancers

• Treats atherosclerosis:

• Anti-aging

This fruit is very common  during Chinese New Year and big festivals like moon cake festival. As to why moon cake festival was associated with pomelo, according to some website, it was written that the homophone of 柚子 is the same of having son (有子）.  Some others believed that eating 柚子 or pomelo will lead to moon goddess’s 嫦娥 blessing 保佑平安。Some said that during the period of moon cake festivals, it is the harvesting time of pomelo in northern hemisphere. Some even believed that putting the pith of the pomelo at the head of a kid will give additional blessings during this period.

I am also rather new to this belief as it was not common during my childhood in my small town. What I know now is that this is common in PRC when I was staying there, Hong Kong and Taiwan Facebook Groups. Singapore supermarkets was loaded with pomelo and prices can be steep before the festival. Gift sending always include moon cake and pomelo..

I believed many families are loaded with pomelo.. Most will eat the juicy flesh in throw away the skin. What most may not know is that the skin can be churned into dishes and jam and etc. What I am sharing today is how to skin the pomelo beautifully and how to make jam from the fruits. You can use the jam for as bread spread, baking cakes or dilute with water and become a refreshing drink. . In fact, you can also use for stir frying pork ribs, chicken and etc. as a flavouring agent.

WHAT IS REQUIRED

Servings: Prepare a small jar of pomelo jam

• One medium to big size pomelo

• 500 grams of pomelo flesh

• 120 grams of white sugar

• 200 grams of honey or golden syrup or maltose

• 50 grams of water

STEPS OF PREPARATION

• Wash and scrub the skin of the pomelo as clean as you can. Use a sharp knife to cut shallowly a circle at the middle of the pomelo. Do not cut too deep as it will cut into the flesh. Use a spoon to push inside the pith and push around the fruit. When the cavity is big enough that your finger can go in, use your finger to push around the segments. Take out the rind and the pith. Perform the same for the bottom.

• Use a knife to cut lightly following the segment patterns. Use hand to lightly pull apart the segments. Use a knife to cut away the core connecting part. Use your hand to pull away the white membrane. During this process, you have to hold the pomelo segment tight to facilitate pulling. Otherwise, you are likely to break the fruits.

• Use a peeler to peel the rind (do not go into the white pith). If you are weary that it is bitter, you can blanch in hot water for 2-3 minutes but the fragrance will be reduce in the next step.

• In a pot, put the pomelo flesh, sugar, pomelo rind and water. Bring to boil. Though the water seems to be very little, however, when you boil, the pomelo juices will be excreted.

• Once the flesh and rind has slightly softened (after boiling for 5 minutes), transfer to a blender and blend until fine. This steps is optional but it will save you at least 30 minutes of high heat boiling. You can omit this step but you will need to boil until the flesh and rind is soft which took about one hour.

• Transfer the blended flesh back to the pan, add the honey, continue boiling under high heat until the jam thicken. Give it an occasional stirring to avoid sticking to the sides.   Cool completely before store in a sterilized glass container.

• The jam can be used to prepare drinks , as a bread spread , baking cupcakes or chiffon cakes or as a flavour enhances in the cooking of savoury dishes.

CONCLUSION

I hope this post will help  those who are looking for a way to fully utilize the pomelo. If you are overloaded with pomelo, you can consider this recipe.

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