Facts About Ambarella
A tropical tree called Ambarella, also called Spondias Dulcis, produces Ambarella fruit, which can be consumed by humans. In many regions of the world, it is most frequently referred to by the names Kedondong, Pomme Cythere, June plum, Juplon, Mangotin, Jojo Indio, golden apple, and Cajarana. From September to about the middle of January, the Ambarella tree is full of fruit.
The fruit of the Ambarella tree develops in clusters of approximately a dozen. The Ambarella fruit has an oval shape and can grow to be between 6 and 9 centimeters in length.
When the Ambarella fruits first fall to the ground, they have a tough and green appearance; once they have had time to mature, they turn a golden-yellow tint. The fruit’s flesh has a lot of juice, and its color is golden. It is only a little bit sweet, but it has a hint of sour acidity to it.
The Ambarella fruit’s crunchy flesh is usually seasoned with salt, honey, chile pepper, or shrimp paste before eating. Ambarella fruit preserves well in jellies, jams, and other forms. The Ambarella fruit can be candied or made into beverages or used in fruit salads.
Health Benefits of Ambarella
Strengthens the Immune System
Because it is high in vitamin C, Ambarella helps the body’s immune system work more effectively. The white blood cells, which are important to the body in the battle against diseases, are produced by the body when vitamin C is present.
The creation of collagen is enhanced, and the time it takes for wounds to heal is reduced as a result. The fruit also has antioxidants, which help protect cells from harm caused by free radicals and speed up the body’s natural healing process.
Natural Antioxidants with Skin-Beneficial Properties
The fruit’s high vitamin C content contributes to the healing of damaged tissue and nourishes the skin. It accomplishes this by increasing collagen synthesis, which in turn improves the appearance of the skin.
In addition, Ambarella is utilized to treat a variety of skin conditions. After being boiled, the leaves of the Ambarella plant are extracted, which are then utilized as a replacement for body lotion and moisturizers.
Successful in Treating Coughs
Ambarella should be grated in three parts. Squeeze it, add a little bit of salt to the juice that results, and drink this mixture three times a day. In addition, the extract that is made from the ambarella tree’s leaves can be used to cure coughs. Bring three to four fresh ambarella tree leaves and two cups of water to a boil.
Hold off on utilizing it for a few minutes so it can settle. Drink the concoction once it has been strained. Honey can be added if desired
Eye Improvement
Ambarella is a rich source of vitamin A, which contributes to its ability to improve one’s vision:
Improves Digestion
The herb is rich in dietary fiber, is beneficial to digestion and bowel movement because it speeds up the digestive process. Constipation and indigestion sufferers are encouraged to consume the fruit’s pulp in order to alleviate their symptoms.
Eating fruit helps avoid dehydration because it contains a high percentage of water. It is believed that dysentery can be cured by eating the bark of the ambarella tree. People suffering from diarrhea or dysentery may benefit from taking a herbal mixture made from ambarella bark.
Bring 5 grams of Ambarella bark that has been cleaned to a boil in 2 cups of water. After straining the mixture, you can then swallow it to feel immediate relief.
Culinary Uses
- Fruit, young leaves, and the fragile parts of the inflorescence can all be consumed.
- The most delicious way to consume fully ripe fruit is uncooked and fresh.
- In West Java, the young leaves of this plant are chopped up and used as a flavoring for Pepes.
- Even though the more mature leaves have a sour flavor, many in Costa Rica use them as a salad green.
- Ripe fruits are delicious when used to make fresh fruit juice beverages, cordials, and nectar, all of which can be used to flavor yogurt.
- In Malaysia, fruit is typically juiced and sold under the brand name “umbra juice,” which is a prominent brand name.
- It is typically eaten with shrimp paste, which is a thick, dark, salty-sweet sauce called Hayko in the Southern Min dialect of Chinese. This dish is popular in Indonesia and Malaysia.
- It can be found as a component in the dishes known as rujak in Indonesia and rojak in Malaysia.
- Preserves and seasonings for sauces, soups, and stews can be produced from fruit using various techniques.
- In Fiji, they make jam out of the fruit.
- In Samoa and Tonga, it is a component in the production of Otai.
- In Sri Lanka, the snack dish known as Acharya is made by combining fruit that has been steeped in vinegar with chile and other spices.
- In Vietnam, unripe fruit is typically eaten with salt, sugar, and chile, or shrimp paste, depending on the dish.
- Children consume the fruit after it has been macerated in licorice that has been artificially sweetened.
- Most people, particularly children in Jamaica, see it as more of a curiosity than anything else.
- It can be consumed with salt, or it can be fashioned into a beverage that is sweetened with sugar and spiced with ginger.
- It is either seasoned with pepper sauce and spices, sweetened with curry, salty, or sweetened in Trinidad and Tobago.
- In Cambodia, it is typically prepared as a salad that goes by the name “nhoum mkak.”
- In Suriname, fruit is dehydrated and then transformed into a spicy chutney by being combined with garlic and peppers.
- Fruits can be eaten raw, juiced, preserved, jammed, or used to flavor other foods. Other uses include flavorings.
- Young leaves are typically used as a flavor or cooked as a vegetable, whilst more mature leaves are typically used in salads.
- In sauces, soups, and other dishes, unripe fruits are frequently used to impart a sour flavor.
- Ripe fruit can also be cooked into stews, used to make jams and sauces, or consumed on its own.
- Unripe fruit can be pickled in vinegar and sugar, used to make Manisan, or used to make chutney, all of which are wonderful uses for the fruit.
- Although Ambarellas are sometimes prepared by simmering them in curry, they are more typically prepared by cooking them with sugar and a cinnamon stick.
- The fruit can be consumed as a compote, or in Indonesia, it is common practice to combine unripe fruit with other fruits to make rujak, and it is also consumed in sambal goring due to the fact that unripe fruit makes a good substitute for Tamarind Asam.
- In Indonesia and Malaysia, unripe fruit is peeled, sliced, and either eaten with a thick black salty-sweet fermented shrimp paste called Hayko or dipped in chili powder and salt before being consumed.
- The unripe, mature, green fruit is blended with other ingredients to create a thirst-quenching beverage that is very well received by the people living in these areas of the French West Indies and Grenada.
- In Indonesia, the tender leaves are cooked and eaten as Lalab, or they are used in Sayur, which is a type of salad.
- Young leaves are sometimes mixed together with salted fish, which is then served as a side dish with rice.
- Young leaves are frequently utilized in culinary preparations as an alternative to the use of Asam or lemon to provide a sour, savory flavor.
- In order to tenderize the young leaves, they are sometimes fried with tough meat.
- Young panicles that are still sensitive can be consumed by steaming them or preparing them as a salad.
- In India, the leaves are consumed as greens while the fruit is cooked into curries and pickled.
The Process of Storage
If you have acquired some Ambarella that still needs to ripen more, you can keep them at room temperature while you wait for them to mature. After a week, it will have reached its full maturity. When stored in the refrigerator, it has a shelf life of several weeks.
Be prepared for the fruits to lose their golden sheen at some point while stored in cool environments, even if the flavor will not be adversely affected.
Make sure that the fruit has been allowed to sit at room temperature for at least an hour before you consume it. This will allow the fruit to develop a flavor profile that is more robust and full-bodied than that of cold fruits. (Keep in mind that the fruits should not be chilled below 5 degrees Celsius.)
Recipe
Ambarella’s Sweet and Spicy
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp. olive oil
- 4 to 5 curry leaves
- 3 Cardamom Pods.
- a half cinnamon stick
- 1 large finely sliced onion
- 1 chopped green chili
- Chilli Flecks (3 tablespoons)
- 250g peeled and cut Ambarella into halves
- Season with salt and pepper.
- 1 cup of sugar
- 2 cups of water.
Method
- Warm the oil in a clean skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the curry leaves, cardamom pods, and cinnamon sticks, and simmer them on low heat for a few minutes to extract the flavor. For the next 3-5 minutes.
- Add the onions and mustard seeds and cook for a further 2 minutes.
- After adding the water, add the sugar and continue to cook over medium heat.
- While the fluid is heating up, add the chili specks and the green chilies and continue to cook over medium heat.
- After another five minutes, put the Ambarella into the liquid that is already simmering.
- Check to see that the Ambarella is covered by enough amount of water; if it is not, add more water and resume cooking the curry over medium heat until the color of the gravy changes to dark amber. Then season the curry with salt while it is cooking.
- Serve while still warm with rice.