Button mangosteen

What it is

The round, shiny fruit measures 3–5 cm (1.2–2 in) across. Its skin starts green and turns yellowish orange as it matures. The thin rind also has a place in cooking: for sambal cepu, ripe fruit is split, the seeds removed, and the skin and flesh sliced together.

Where it comes from

Garcinia prainiana comes from southern Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia, including Pahang, Perak and Negeri Sembilan. It grows in lowland and hill forests and along ridges. The tree also has a place in tropical gardens, where its orange fruit and colourful flowers are ornamental features.

How it's eaten where it grows

Malay cooks use young cerapu with dried fish in gulai lemak cili api. A home recipe, masak lemak tulsi cepu, combines slices of young fruit with meat, tulsi leaves, bird’s-eye chillies, turmeric and thick coconut milk.

Ripe fruit takes a different role in sambal cepu. Red chillies and bird’s-eye chillies are crushed, then mixed with thinly sliced cerapu and salt. The fruit keeps its skin in this preparation, with the seeds removed before slicing.

How it's grown

The tree reaches up to 10 m (33 ft), though it can begin fruiting when only a few feet tall. New leaves emerge red before turning glossy dark green. Its red-to-orange flowers have a sweet scent.

Male and female flowers grow on separate trees, so both are needed for fruit. Plants grow in full sun or partial shade, in moist soil that drains well. The tree keeps its leaves year-round.

When and where you'll find it

In Malaysia, cerapu usually fruits from July to September. In Perak, one traveller found it in 2013 at roadside fruit stalls near Kampung Jeram on the Gopeng–Kuala Lumpur road. Young fruit goes into cooked dishes; ripe orange fruit is eaten fresh or made into sambal.