Rowal

What it is

The rough brown fruit is 15–30 cm (6–12 in) long. Inside, yellow pulp surrounds large, flattened seeds about 5 cm (2 in) long. The ripe flesh has a much gentler smell than durian.

The pulp and the prepared seed are different ingredients. Buah keluak cooking uses the kernel inside the seed, after processing removes its poisonous cyanide. In the recipe from Singapore’s Candlenut, a well-prepared seed should smell like dark chocolate or coffee when opened.

Where it comes from

Pangium edule comes from Indonesia, Malaysia and New Guinea. It also grows on Yap, Palau, Pohnpei and the Mariana Islands. Rowal is its Yapese name; on Palau it is riamel, and on Pohnpei, durien. In Southeast Asia, kepayang and buah keluak are among its names.

How it's eaten where it grows

In Singapore and Malaysia, Peranakan cooks use the processed seeds in ayam buah keluak and babi buah keluak. Ayam buah keluak pairs chicken with stuffed seeds in a spicy tamarind gravy. At Candlenut, chef Malcolm Lee cooks chicken with the kernels and the whole nuts, lemongrass, lime leaves and tamarind.

In eastern Java, nasi rawon brings the same ingredient to beef stewed with buah keluak and served with rice. On Yap, people long ago learned to leach the poison from the seeds in running water and cook them into a tasty food.

How it's grown

The evergreen tree can reach 40 m (130 ft), growing in rainforest and along riverbanks. Villages grow it for its seeds; on Yap, it stands among village crops and in regrowing forest. In Raden Anom, Sumatra, customary rules allow people to gather fallen fruit, but forbid knocking it from the tree with poles.

When and where you'll find it

In Raden Anom, Jambi, the fruit usually comes from November to February, with the main harvest in January. East Java supplies much of the buah keluak trade: the seeds undergo processing to remove their poison before sale. In Singapore, Tekka and Geylang Serai are the markets where Candlenut’s chef sources ingredients for his ayam buah keluak.