Buah Keluak

Any Peranakan will stop to wax lyrical about buah keluak. The dark pasty meat found within the nuts is an acquired taste no doubt, but it is definitely a mark of identity for the community. Derived from the Pangium edule tree native to South East Asian mangrove swamps, the fruit which produce these nut seeds are poisonous. However, a process of fermentation removes the toxicity. Buah keluak are sourced from Indonesia. It is the weight of each seed, and not the size, that one should feel for as it is the meat within that is needed for cooking. The nuts have to be scrubbed clean, soaked for a few days to remove the grit and earthy smell. The best way to crack and pry open the nuts is to use a cleaver to knock cracks on the surface of the shell.