A glimpse of Singapore: Tekka market tour, little India

Our embassy organized a market tour to the Tekka Market in "Little India". It is located at 665 Buffalo Rd, a short walk from Little India MRT Station. When you visit "Little India", you really feel like you are in India.

Tekka Market is quite large and is packed with sights, smells, and sounds. You can find individual stalls selling Indian, Malay, and Chinese ready-made food at the hawker stands, and a very large wet market stocked with fresh vegetables, meat, fish, spices, sauces, flowers, etc. The market draws crowds from all over Singapore.

I am only focusing on fruits and vegetables for this post. Please note, I have included some fun facts about healing properties for many of these fruits and vegetables - this does not mean I am recommending them or I even believe it!

Water Apple or Love Fruit

Water apples are native to Southeast Asia. They have a thin, edible skin, which looks waxy and turns pink/red as the fruit ripens. The flesh is divided into 4 sections, each with a single seed. The flesh is firm and white.

The ripe colors can vary from light green to pink, red, or brown. They generally have a mild flavor and crisp texture. They are either eaten raw or added to salads.

Indian Mangoes

The Indian mango is considered one of the best mangoes in the world in terms of sweetness, richness, and flavor. It is also one of the most expensive. I personally like Thai mangoes better.

For almost 20 years, Indian mangoes weren't allowed in the United States because of FDA import standards. In 2007, the ban was lifted, but with restrictions. The mangoes must be treated before entering the country in order to stop the introduction of non-native fruit flies, destructive fungi, and other pests that could cause damage to American agriculture.

Jack Fruit

Jackfruit is the largest tree-borne fruit in the world. It can get up to 80 pounds in weight and up to 36 inches long.

Jackfruit are prickly on the outside. On the inside are "bulbs", often referred to as the seeds. They can be eaten as is, or cut up and cooked. When the fruit is unripe, it is similar in texture to chicken, making jackfruit an excellent vegetarian substitute for meat. When fully ripe, the unopened jackfruit emits a strong, offensive odor, resembling that of decayed onions. Fortunately, the pulp smells like pineapple and banana.

Jackfruit contains many vitamins and minerals, and offers numerous health benefits. The fruit is said to have cancer-fighting properties and is known to help cure ulcers and indigestion.

Duku or Langsat

Duku and Langsat are so similar it is hard to tell them apart,. I love almost all fruits, but this one I did not care for.

The fruit, from Southeast Asia, are slightly larger than a golf ball and grow in clusters with a thin, leathery skin. The duku has a golden brown color; the langsat is more of a cream color. Gentle pressure on the top (stem end) of the fruit will cause the skin to split, making the fruit easy to peel.

The interior of each fruit contains 5 segments. It tastes a little like a grapefruit (this is why I did not like it - I am not a huge fan of grapefruit). Some segments may contain small, bitter seeds. Do not bite into them!!

Fresh grated coconut

Just thought this was interesting to see the machine they use to grate coconut. It was not as sweet as I was expecting it to be.

Bilimbi

Bilimbi, also called the cucumber tree, is a small oblong fruit with a pale green waxy skin and crunchy but watery flesh. It is very similar to the star fruit, although the flesh is much more acidic.

The most common use for the fruits is a flavoring for prepared fish and meat dishes. They are usually not eaten raw.

Winter Melon

I thought winter melon was a fruit but it is not, it is a gourd. The inside is mild flavored with a similar texture to a watermelon. It has a large seed cavity that takes up a considerable amount of the flesh. The melon is sweet when young, but grows bland and slightly peppery as it matures. The plant produces fruits on vines on the ground like a pumpkin. It can weigh up to 50 pounds and have a shelf life of about 12 months.

Winter melon can be steamed, simmered, braised or parboiled and added to stir-fries. It is most often used in soup. They are suitable for pickling and may be diced and candied. Winter melon is also a polpular flavor for tea.

Lotus Root

I was surprised to hear that the beautiful lotus flower (the ones you see floating on the water) has edible "roots". The lotus root looks like a chain of giant pods connected to one another. It is crunchy and a bit sweet and can be prepared in a variety of ways—fried, sauteed, steamed, and boiled. It does not lose its firmness, so it is good for salads. It is used throughout Asia but mostly used in Chinese cuisine. It has a unique interior pattern of holes and is pretty to use as a garnish.

Dried lotus root used for teas

Lotus root tea is said to be helpful in relieving cough and removing toxins from the blood and support a healthy immune system.

To make tea from the dried root, add 2 tablespoons of lotus root to 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil, reduce the flame, and simmer for fifteen minutes. Add of pinch of sea salt or a dash of tamari (soy sauce), and drink it hot.

To prepare it using fresh root, squeeze the juice from a half-cup of freshly grated lotus root into a pot with one cup of water. Simmer until the liquid thickens, add a pinch of sea salt, and drink it hot.

Bitter Gourds

The bitter gourd is a member of the squash family and has a close resemblance to a cucumber with bumpy skin. It is a yellow-green color when young and not yet ripe - this is the best time to eat it. It is popular in Asian and Indian cooking. The inside is white and contains small fibrous seeds. Before cooking, the seeds are discarded and the flesh is boiled before being added to a sauce.

Considered one of the most nutritious gourds, the plant has medicinal properties. A compound known as 'charantin' present in the bitter gourd is used in the treatment of diabetes to lower blood sugar levels. The plant also has a rich amount vitamins and minerals, including vitamins A, B1, B2 and C, along with iron, calcium, copper, phosphorous and potassium.

Eastern medicine has used the bitter gourd for many centuries, claiming its medicinal benefits include stimulating the liver, helping digestion problems, and purifying the blood.

Chinese White Radish or Daikon

The Chinese white radish or daikon resembles a large white carrot. It is an extremely versatile vegetable that can be eaten raw in salads or cut into strips or chips for relish trays. Not only is the root eaten, but the leaves also are rich in vitamin C, beta carotene, calcium, and iron. Daikon is very low in calories. A 3-ounce serving contains only 18 calories and provides 34 percent of the RDA for vitamin C. It contains active enzymes that aids in digestion.

To prepare, peel skin as you would a carrot and cut as recipe indicates. It can be stir-fried, grilled, baked, boiled or broiled. Use the daikon the same way you use a radish. A Japanese secret to cooking daikon is to use water in which rice has been washed or a bit of rice bran added (this keeps the daikon white and eliminates bitterness and sharpness}. Interesting tidbit - the daikon is the number one vegetable produced in Japan.

Choko or Chayote

Choko or Chayote is a member of the gourd family. It is shaped like a pear and varies in color from yellowish white to pale green to dark green. Choose firm, small, and fresh green chokos that are free of brown spots or signs of sprouting.

The choko can be eaten raw or cooked. In raw form, it is often added to salads or served on its own with a bit of vinaigrette.

The skin has a high water content and a rather subtle flavor and it is also edible. The delicate flavor of the choko is better if the fruit is crisp after cooking; allow 10-15 minutes for boiling and steaming. Chokos can also be steamed, boiled, microwaved, made into soup, added to casseroles, baked and poached.

Raw choko is a good source of potassium and contains vitamin C, folic acid, vitamin B6 copper, and magnesium. It is high in dietary fiber.

Snake Gourd (left) & Bottle Gourd (right)

The snake gourd or Chinese cucumber is a long curved fruit that looks like a snake and is grown throughout China. It is primarily used in Chinese cuisine and has been a staple of their herbal medicine for several thousand years.

Chinese cucumber is commonly used to boost immunity and to treat coughs. It helps relieve sensations of pressure in the chest. Clinical studies have shown it may act like an antibiotic in curing illnesses. I was surprised that when I googled it, it actually come up on drugs.com.

Bottle Gourd

The bottle gourd is long with smooth skin and has a mild taste similar to zucchini. Immature, the flesh is sweet, but it turns more bitter as it ages. If you wait too long, it will dry out and become hollow.

Cooked bottle gourd is a calming soothing food that acts as a diuretic. Extremely low in calories and high in fiber, cooked bottle gourd makes an excellent food for people who are dieting. In many cultures bottle gourd is cooked just like a summer squash and enjoyed with a variety of toppings including brown sugar and butter.

Green Pepper tree

It was interesting to see pepper on the plant. Black pepper is produced from the green unripe berry of the pepper plant. The berries are cooked briefly in hot water, both to clean them and to prepare them for drying. They are dried in the sun or by machine for several days, during which the pepper around the seed shrinks and darkens into a thin, wrinkled black layer. Once dried, the spice is called black peppercorn. It is then ground and used as a seasoning.

Drumstick

Drumsticks or Moringa is common in India, where its triangular, ribbed pods with winged seeds are used as a vegetable. In the Philippines, it is commonly grown for its leaves, which are used in soup.

The pods are prepared like green beans but taste more like asparagus. The seeds are sometimes removed from more mature pods and eaten like peas or roasted like nuts. The mature seeds create a clear oil, which is sweet and odorless. It is used in the perfume industry and to lubricate delicate machinery.

Researchers have stated that the nutritional value of the leaves is equivalent to 7 times the Vitamin C in oranges, plus 4 times the calcium in milk, plus 3 times potassium in bananas, plus 2 times the protein in milk, plus 4 times the vitamin A in Carrot.

Morning Glory

This is one of our new favorite veggies. We had it in Bangkok and really enjoyed it and have been making it at home. We were happy to see that it is a very common vegetable here in Singapore.

Morning glory or Chinese water spinach have long stems that are hollow with pointed leaves. The stems are crunchy and the leaves are mild tasting.

It is rich in iron and vitamin A but lacks the bitterness of other iron-rich greens such as the spinach. It is a common ingredient in Southeast Asian dishes. The leaves are usually stir-fried with chili pepper, garlic, ginger, dried shrimp paste and other spices.

Soursop

The soursop is covered in small knobby spines that easily break off when the fruit is ripe. The thin skin, which is inedible, cuts easily. The inside is cream colored, fragrant, juicy, and somewhat fibrous. It has lots of black seeds inside the pulp. Soursop is usually processed into ice creams, sherbets, and drinks.

It is said to be a cancer remedy, and can help with bacterial and fungal infections. It also is effective against internal parasites and worms, lowers high blood pressure and is used for depression, stress and nervous disorders.

Mystery fruit - do you know what it is?