It is breadfruit season once again, and we are swamped with gifts of the fruit. The thing is, mature koló turns to mush a day or two after being picked off the tree. We can not give them away/pass them on fast enough — that is, find people who don’t already have their own, not to mention too much of it.
Until then, we freeze boiled breadfruit. It keeps amazingly well in sub-zero temperature. Once thawed and steamed, it tastes/feels the same as newly cooked. That said, I’m near sick of it. There are only two ways breadfruit is served in these parts, both involving latik, a syrup made from coconut cream and sugar — Visayan latik, I should point out, because Tagalogs cook theirs down until only curds remain. I mean to give you a recipe, too — as soon as I get it right, i.e., not just yet.
For now, a tip courtesy of the laundrywoman: how to tell mature koló from immature. Let’s have a closer look:
Note the most obvious difference: color. Immature is greener. Also, firmer and rougher to the touch. The hexagonal disks that comprise the skin are smaller and closer together, whereas in mature breadfruit, they are wider and flatter, hence smoother. The riper the koló, the sweeter (but pulpier) the flesh.
To cook, we quarter the fruit, pour water until it’s halfway up the pot, and boil until soft. The slices are then drained and left to cool a bit before being pared of skin and mushy core, then sliced into chunks. I suppose you could clean koló before cooking, but I suspect that without the protective layers of skin and core, more water would get into the flesh, turning it soggy. You could try steaming in that case.
If you’ve had it up to your ears with boiled breadfruit, why not try frying? Lightly dredge thinly sliced kolo in sugar and fry the way you would sweet potato or banana. You can do without sugar, obviously, but I like the added sweetness, together with the nuttiness of sesame seeds.
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