Perhaps a bit late for a "Monday" posting, but I've been busy. The starfruit, or carambola, comes from a slow-growing, short-trunked bushy tree growing to 20-30 feet. Its origin is thought to be Sri Lanka and islands of the Indian Ocean, but it has been mainly cultivated in Southeast Asia for centuries. The tree is tropical/subtropical, so introduced varieties have been grown in Hawaii, Florida, the Caribbean, and the South Pacific. The fruit is oblong, with 5-angled ridges running the length. It possesses a thin, waxy skin, and is yellow-orange in color. The entire fruit is edible, and the pericarp (flesh) is juicy, crisp, and yellow when fully ripe. They may contain up to 12 flat brown seeds.
Eudicots; Rosids I; Oxalidales; Oxalidaceae; Averrhoa carambola
The flavor is very complex, described as a combination of pineapple, orange, papaya, and grapefruit. Like grapefruit, starfruit contain rather significant quantities of oxalic acid, and in fact have the highest concentration of any edible plant. As such, people with kidney problems should avoid eating the fruit, as calcium oxalate is the primary constituent of kidney stones. Having the fruit with dairy products is also not recommended, as the oxalic acid easily denatures casein, forming a gritty precipitate of calcium oxalate. It should also be noted that starfruit is an inhibitor of many cytochrome P450 isoforms, and hence may interfere with certain medications. If you would not be adversely affected by ingesting the fruit, then I recommend trying it. Though it can be eaten out-of-hand, it is also commonly prepared in salads, as a garnish, in puddings, tarts, stews, curries, jams, jellies, syrups, relish, and dried. Carambola juice is used as a cooling, refreshing beverage as well. Below is a good recipe for pork with star fruit:
Star Fruit Pork Scaloppini
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 4 pork cutlets, 4 ounces each
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 star fruit, sliced
- 1/2 cup beef broth
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 2 Tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
- 2 tsp orange peel
Preheat oven to 200F. Melt butter in frying pan over medium heat. Cook pork about 4 to 5 minutes per side. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer cutlets to a serving dish and set aside in oven. In same pan, cook star fruit 1 minute per side. Set aside in oven. Add beef broth, orange juice and cream to saucepan; cook until reduced by half. Add coriander and orange peel. Continue cooking 2 to 3 minutes. Spoon sauce over meat and garnish with star fruit. Serve with rice and zucchini, if desired. Serves 4.