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Dragon fruit has leathery, bright red skin and sweet, kiwi-like flesh. It's part of the cactus family, and is high in fiber, vitamin C and B vitamins. You can cut it in half, and eat it with a spoon, or cut it into cubes and grill it. Alternatively, you can toss it into a blender with some yogurt, and make a smoothie . Read on for more tasty ways to enjoy dragon fruit.
How to Prepare and Eat Dragon Fruit
- Choose dragon fruit that's bright red or pink and has no bruises.
- Slice the dragon fruit in half with a sharp knife.
- Use a spoon to scoop the fruit out of its skin.
- Toss out the dragon fruit's skin when you're finished.
Steps
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Find dragon fruit. The hardest part of eating dragon fruit might be finding it first, depending on where you live. It is commonly sold in Asia, but is less available in the US and Europe. If your local grocery store does not stock dragon fruit, check Asian markets in your area. [1] X Research source -
Select ripe fruit . Dragon fruit should be bright red or pink. Like a kiwi or a peach, it tastes best when it's fully ripe. [2] X Trustworthy Source Cleveland Clinic Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals Go to source
- Press the flesh of the dragon fruit. If it has a little give, it is probably ripe. If it is too soft, that means it is overripe, and the texture will not be as good. If it is hard, give it a few days before you eat it. [3]
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Expert Source
Ed Kuoha
Chef Expert Interview. 9 November 2021. - Avoid fruit that has dark blotches or bruises, brown dry spots, or dry spines.
Advertisement - Press the flesh of the dragon fruit. If it has a little give, it is probably ripe. If it is too soft, that means it is overripe, and the texture will not be as good. If it is hard, give it a few days before you eat it. [3]
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Expert Source
Ed Kuoha
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Cut the dragon fruit in half. [4] X Expert Source Ed Kuoha
Chef Expert Interview. 9 November 2021. Use a sharp knife to slice right through it. You will find bright white flesh that looks similar to a kiwi inside, with tiny black seeds distributed throughout the fruit. -
Scoop out the flesh with a spoon. [5] X Expert Source Ed Kuoha
Chef Expert Interview. 9 November 2021. Run a spoon along the edges of the skin and then scoop underneath to loosen the flesh. If the fruit is ripe, is should separate easily from the skin. [6] X Research source -
Eat the dragon fruit. Spoon it directly into your mouth, cut it up into quarters like an apple, or use it in one of the recipes below.You can also cut it into fifths and create a really cool pattern.
- Dragon fruit tastes especially delicious cold. Consider refrigerating your dragon fruit.
- Avoid eating the dragon fruit skin . It has an unpleasant taste and is generally considered to be inedible.
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Soak some wooden skewers . You will need one skewer for each kebab. Soak as many as you need in a bowl of water for ten minutes. This will prevent the wood from charring when you grill the kebabs. [7] X Research source
- If you prefer to use metal skewers, those will also work fine. They do not need to be soaked.
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Light a grill . Fruit kebabs should be grilled over even, medium-high heat. Use an electric or charcoal grill.
- A stovetop grill will also work will for grilling kebabs.
- If you don't have a grill, the kebabs can be cooked under the broiler in your oven. Light it to high in preparation for cooking the kebabs.
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Prepare the fruit. Dragon fruit pairs well with any type of tropical fruit. For these kebabs, try mango and pineapple. [8] X Research source
- Cut a ripe dragon fruit in half. Scoop out the flesh and slice it into bite-sized chunks.
- Cut a ripe mango in half. Remove the skin and slice it into bite-sized chunks.
- Cut a pineapple in half. Slice off the skin and then slice the flesh into bite-sized chunks.
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Thread the fruit onto the skewers. Alternate fruits so you have equal amounts of each fruit on the skewers. Leave space on either end for lifting the kebabs.
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Lay the kebabs on the grill. Cook them until they are lightly browned on one side, then turn them over to cook the other side. [9] X Research source
- If you're using a broiler, place them on a baking sheet and put them in the oven. Allow them to cook for 2 minutes, then remove them from the oven, turn them over, and place them back in the oven to cook for another 2 minutes.
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Remove the kebabs from heat. Place them on a serving dish and serve immediately with a bowl of sugar for sprinkling.
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Prepare the fruit. Dragon fruit pairs well with bananas, berries, and any other fruit you like to eat with smoothies. [10] X Research source
- Cut the dragon fruit in half. Scoop out the flesh with a spoon, then dice it.
- Peel a banana . Slice it into pieces.
- Wash a pint of blueberries.
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Choose a base. Dragon fruit has a creamy flesh that tastes delicious paired with a creamy base. Choose from the following: [11] X Research source
- Yogurt, or Greek yogurt, plain or your favorite flavor.
- Milk - whole, partial fat, or skim, according to your preference.
- Soy milk, plain or your favorite flavor.
- Nut milk, such as almond or cashew milk.
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Consider adding extras. If you like your smoothies extra sweet and flavorful, choose from these additional ingredients:
- Apple or grape juice.
- A few spoonfuls of sugar, syrup or honey.
- Peanut butter or almond butter.
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Add the ingredients to a blender. Throw in the dragon fruit, banana, and blueberries. Top with a cup of your chosen base and a few spoonfuls of any extra sweetener or nut butter you'd like.
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Blend the ingredients . Use the "pulse" function on your blender to blend the ingredients until smooth. [12] X Research source
- If the smoothie seems too thick, add a little milk, juice, or water to thin it out.
- If you want a thicker smoothie, add some instant oatmeal.
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Pour into glasses and serve. Drink the smoothie with a straw, or if you made it extra thick, eat it with a spoon.
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Process 2 dragon fruits. Cut them in half and scoop out the flesh from both sides. Chop the flesh into chunks. [13] X Research source
- The pretty dragon fruit skin makes an excellent serving dish for sorbet. Save the halves in your freezer if you wish to serve the sorbet in them.
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Blend the dragon fruit with other sorbet ingredients. Place the dragon fruit in a blender with ¾ cup water, 2 Tablespoons sugar, and 1 tablespoon (14.8 ml) lemon juice. Pulse until the ingredients are smooth. [14] X Research source
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Pour the mixture into an ice cream freezer. Follow the manufacturer's instructions to freeze the sorbet.
- If you don't have an ice cream freezer, you can still make sorbet by following these directions:
- Pour the sorbet mixture into a baking dish. Cover it with plastic wrap and place it in the freezer.
- After 2 hours, the mixture should be partially frozen. Use a spoon to stir it thoroughly, then cover it and place it back in the freezer.
- Continue stirring the sorbet every two hours over 8 hours.
- After 8 hours, allow the sorbet to freeze solid overnight.
- If you don't have an ice cream freezer, you can still make sorbet by following these directions:
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Spoon the sorbet into the dragon fruit halves. Serve with angel food cake, pound cake or another light pastry.
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Dragon Fruit Recipes
Expert Q&A
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QuestionHow do you properly cut a dragon fruit?Ed Kuoha is a Chef and the Owner of Kuoha Culinary based in Aiea, Hawaii. He has more than 20 years of experience in various culinary kitchens and settings such as Morimoto Waikiki, where he received hands-on training from Iron Chef Morimoto. Chef Ed specializes in small catering events and private chef requests. He holds an Associate’s degree from The Culinary Institute of the Pacific at Kapiolani Community College.There's no right or wrong answer here. There's lots of variation! For example, you could cut it like a papaya, cutting off the tips and opening it in half, scooping the inside to eat. Or, you could stand it up and cut it little by little around the sides, turning it so you have only the inner dragon fruit.
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QuestionDoes it set well adding it to Jello?Community AnswerYes! It works great. I highly recommend using strawberry Jello.
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QuestionDo we wrap it into a bag or something or do we just leave it out and freeze it?Community AnswerTo avoid freezer burn, you should always cover anything you freeze, including dragonfruit.
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Tips
- Make sure you wash the outside the fruit. Cutting it with the skin intact can drag bacteria into the flesh of the fruit and make you sick.Thanks
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Warnings
- If you find dragon fruit that is damaged, it's best not to eat it. Even if it doesn't make you sick, it won't taste nice.Thanks
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Things You'll Need
- Fruit knife
- Dragon fruit
- Spoon
References
- ↑ https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/dragon-fruit-benefits-uses-and-how-to-eat/
- ↑ https://health.clevelandclinic.org/get-to-know-the-incredible-edible-dragon-fruit/
- ↑ Ed Kuoha. Chef. Expert Interview. 9 November 2021.
- ↑ Ed Kuoha. Chef. Expert Interview. 9 November 2021.
- ↑ Ed Kuoha. Chef. Expert Interview. 9 November 2021.
- ↑ https://www.foodnetwork.com/how-to/packages/food-network-essentials/what-does-dragon-fruit-taste-like
- ↑ https://extension.sdstate.edu/get-ready-grilling-season
- ↑ https://www.foodnetwork.com/how-to/packages/food-network-essentials/what-are-pawpaws
- ↑ https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/dragon-fruit-benefits-uses-and-how-to-eat/
About This Article
Article Summary
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"To choose a ripe dragon fruit, look for one that is bright red or pink. It should give slightly when you press on its flesh. Use a sharp knife to slice the dragon fruit in half. Then, run a spoon along the edges of the skin and scoop underneath to loosen the fruit inside. You can then eat the fruit whole, slice it into sections, or use it in a dish. However, you should not eat the dragon fruit skin, as it can give you a stomach ache. "
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Reader Success Stories
- "Knowing how to choose one for ripeness is the best. Cool idea for sorbet presented in the shells. Also intrigued about grilling it using your suggestions of what to pare it with. Fair warning about maybe needing to sweeten it in smoothies." ..." more
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"Knowing how to choose one for ripeness is the best. Cool idea for sorbet presented in the shells. Also intrigued about grilling it using your suggestions of what to pare it with. Fair warning about maybe needing to sweeten it in smoothies."
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"You fulfilled my initial questions and interest in this tasty fruit. Of course, I only get to buy this fruit a couple months out of the year, but I've been enjoying it. I just wasn't sure what and how many uses it has. I love the sorbet idea and it might even make a nice and different kind of frozen daiquiri. I might just try that route with the kiwi and the pineapple, too. I'm anxious to find out if the dragon fruit is toxic or not to parrots. If you're not sure, I can always ask my avian vet. "
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"I just bought a dragon fruit. I thought it was something else, however I was told to just peel it and eat the inside. So that's what I did. I cut the skin/pinkness off. Tasted between a kiwi and a turnip, but was good. Try one. "
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"This is great! I just brought a dragon fruit from the local market and didn't knew how to eat it because I was eating it for the first time. I checked the internet and found wikiHow. This was very useful, thanks, keep it up!!"
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"I didn't know how to "carve" it, serve it or eat it. I'm going to cut it into cubes and put it back using the skin (half) as a serving dish. I'm also going to serve some frozen vanilla yogurt or ice cream on the side."
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