Meet some exotic tropicals … canned or fresh - recipes

Sunset, March, 1989

Recite them quickly and they sound like a Gilbert and Sullivan patter song: litchi, longan, mangosteen, rambutan. In reality, they are the names of four Asian and Southeast Asian fruits in or closely related to the family Sapindaceae; they have in common a distinctive texture, white color, and range of flavors best defined as exotic.

About June, litchis and longans occasionally appear fresh in a few markets. Both fruits are grown in Hawaii and Florida. Fresh rambutans and mangosteens from Asia are not allowed in this country; if grown in Mexico, they can be imported.

But all four of these tropical to subtropical fruits are available and quite satisfactory canned; look for them in Asian-Chinese, Filipino, and Thai-food markets. A 1-1/4-pound can of any of the four kinds of fruits costs about $1.50.

The pictures on the labels don't hint at how good most people agree they taste.

Litchis (litchees, lychees), by general acclaim, have the best flavor; their taste and crisp-soft-succulent texture are somewhat reminiscent of a peeled muscat grape. Fresh, the round fruit is about 1-1/2 inches in diameter, eneased in a thin, leathery brown shell. Inside, the translucent, pearly white fruit surrounds a large, shiny brown pit; the pit is removed before eating or canning.

Longans are very much like litchis, except smaller, coarser textured, not quite as flavorful, and often somewhat less expensive. They have another popular and quite de

scriptive name: dragon's eyes.

Rambutans, native to Malaysia and very popular in Southeast Asia, look rather fearsome fresh. Like a litchi, a rambutan has a thin leathery shell, but it is covered with soft, bright red or sometimes yellow spines. The shell peels easily, revealing a white fruit about the size of a litchi; it has a single seed and tastes like a litchi.

Mangosteens, also native to Malaysia, are about the size and shape of a small Fuyu persimmon when fresh with a thick, smooth, brownish purple, leathery hide. Inside, the white fruit is segmented like an orange; each segment may have a small,

smooth seed, even when canned.

You can use these fruits interchangeably in these recipes, but for the most attractive results, we've specified choices.

Pearl Fruit Cocktail

1 can (1 lb. 4 oz.) litchis, longans, or rambutans, packed in syrup

Ice cubes

About 2 bottles (28 oz. each) or 7 cups cold sparkling water or mineral water

2 limes, each cut into 6 to 8 wedges

Mint sprigs (optional)

Drain fruit syrup into a small pitcher. Put fruit in a small bowl. Into each glass (6- to 8 -oz. size), drop pieces of fruit and several ice cubes.

Fill glasses with sparkling water and add fruit syrup to taste. Squeeze and drop a lime wedge into each glass; add a sprig of mint. Sip liquid, then eat fruit. Makes 6 to

8 servings.

Per serving: 55 cal.; 0.3 g protein; 0.2 g fat; 15 g carbo.; 24 mg sodium; 0 mg chol.

Shrimp and Litchi Salad

1 pound medium-large shrimp (36 to 42), shelled except for last section of tails, and deveined

1 can (1 lb. 4 oz.) Litchis, longans, or rambutans, packed in syrup

1/4 cup salad oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 cups sliced European-style cucumber

4 cups lightly packed watercress sprigs, washed and crisped

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

Rinse shrimp. Bring 3 quarts water to boiling on high heat in a 5- to 6-quart pan. Add shrimp to boiling water, cover, and remove from heat. Let stand until shrimp are opaque in center (cut to test), 2 to 3 minutes. Drain; let cool.

Drain and reserve fruit syrup. In a bowl, mix oil, 2 tablespoons fruit syrup (save balance for other uses), and lemon juice.

If desired, cut fruit pieces in half.

To the bowl add fruit, shrimp, cucumber, and watercress; mix lightly. Divide salad between 4 dinner plates; add salt and pepper to taste. Makes 4 entree salads. Per serving: 331 cat; 20 g protein; 16 g fat; 30 g carbo.; 203 mg sodium; 140 mg chol.

Pork Stir-fry with Mangosteens

1 can (1 lb. 4 oz.) mangosteens or longans, packed in syrup

Teriyaki sauce (recipe follows)

3/4 pound boneless pork, such as loin shoulder, or shoulder or butt

2 to 3 tablespoons salad oil

4 green onions (ends trimmed), thinly sliced

1 whole green onion, ends trimmed

Drain fruit; reserve syrup for teriyaki sauce. If made ahead, cover fruit and syrup and chill up to overnight.

Trim off and discard most fat and tough connective tissue from pork. Slice meat across the grain into 1/16- to 1/2-inch-thick strips about 3 inches long. Mix meat strips with teriyaki sauce; cover and chill at least 1 hour, or up to overnight.

Place a wok or 10- to 1 2-inch frying pan over high heat. When hot, add 2 tablespoons oil. Lift 1/2 the meat from teriyaki sauce with a slotted spoon; add to pan. Stir-fry until meat is lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Lift out with slotted spoon and set aside. Repeat to cook remaining pork; add oil to prevent sticking. Add marinade, all meat and juices, fruit, and sliced onion to pan. Stir gently until boiling. Spoon onto a platter; garnish with whole onion. Warn your guests that mangosteen sections may have seeds.