Breadfruit Ulu Recipe Cookbook Facts

The Breadfruit Cookbook	The Ulu Cookbook
Breadfruit Recipes Ulu Recipes

Selecting and using Ulu

Immature Ulu

The skin of the immature ulu is very bumpy and the fruit is bright green. When picked, the immature ulu drips with white milky sap. To avoid getting the sticky latex stuck on the skin, immediately drop the ulu into a container of water and allow to soak for 10 to 15 minutes. Be sure to rinse the container when the ulu is removed to prevent the sap from sticking on the bottom. Remove any of the white sap from the skin as soon as possible or it will stick to the skin even after it is cooked.

Pick an immature "artichoke" ulu when it is about 3 to 4 inches in diameter, tennis ball to base ball sized. Once cooked, the entire ulu can be eaten as the core is tender. As the ulu begins to grow, the core may become tough and can be trimmed after it is cooked. In its green, immature state, it works in all my recipes that call for artichoke heart.

Mature Ulu

The ulu is mature when the skin yellows and the milky sap begin to ooze though the skin. The bottom of the ulu may begin to brown but the stem. will have white sap when picked. The mature ulu is hard all the way to the core. Soak the ulu as soon as it is picked to keep the sap from hardening and becoming sticky on the skin. The skin on the ulu is thin, but the green ulu is very hard. To make it easier to peel, cut a thin

slice off each end Slice down the side of the fruit carefully, curving the slice toward the bottom. Turn the ulu after each slice of skin is removed. Continue around the ulu until peeled. The ulu flesh turns brown as soon as it is cut.

Have a container of water handy to rinse the ulu as it is cut. Soak any pieces that will not used immediately in water. This will also reduce the sticky sap the may build up on the knife. Once the pieces have been soaked for a few minutes, they will no longer turn brown when exposed to air and can be stored in a sealed in a plastic bag and refrigerated until needed. Another trick when peeling ulu that will be precooked is to boil the ulu for 5 minutes and plunge it into cold water to cool. The outer edge of the ulu will be softened making it easier to peel.

The mature ulu will become half ripe in 1 to 2 days. Later in the season, ulu that falls from the tree is often half ripe or fully ripened. The half ripe ulu still feels firm on the outside but when sliced, the center is slightly soft and will have turned a light yellow. The half ripe ulu will hold its shape.

Ripe Ulu

A mature ulu will ripen and soften in 2 to 3 days. The ulu is Ripe when the skin beings to turn from a yellow green to brown. The stem will not ooze sap and the fruit will soften and �sit down� on it self. The aroma becomes sweet and the core can usually be removed by pulling the stem. This creates the cavity to stuff the sweet ulu. The ripe ulu cooks quickly as it is very soft and sticky. A very ripe ulu is mushy and the cooked pulp works well in place of pumpkin and banana.