Exotic produce from the Raub market...pictorials from 2005

Some lucky mornings at the farmers' market, one may chance upon uncommon produce when Mother Nature is abundant in her offings...

These are retro-pics as they were taken back in 2005 but still look fresh and interesting. As Raub has many villages set on the fringes of the valley between the Main Range and the Benom Range, natural produce from the jungle are essentially exploited for human consumption. Here are some very natural ones and some very traditional ones as well finding their ways into the kitchen of Raubians...

Terung Asam, a fruity and bit tangy aubergine that can be eaten raw as a salad

Fruit from the jungle, the Tampoi, a fruit with duku-like flesh but trapped in extremely thick white pith of its shell. Sourish to sweet.

Traditional villages normally has one or two of it around the corners of the village. This is Pauh, a non-hybrid mango that can sometimes be found at the fringes of the forest.

An almost extra-terrestrial-like cousin of the Kerdas, with its strange form and pinkish flesh -the Keladan, a seasonal nut from the jungles of Malaysia. As it is collected from the forest floor, it is collected at a stage where the nuts begin to germinate, hence their unusual appearance.

Plates of Keladan with Kundangs in orange plastic bags.

Display of Asam Gelugur and Tampoi.

A pair of old cucumbers and the strange fruit of the Kantan flower ( a ginger)

Daun Seripok, a jungle creeper that is cooked lightly in coconut milk and tumeric in a style widely practiced in the kitchens of traditional Pahang - masak lemak. For the initiated only.

Belimbing Asam, a very sour starfruit that is traditionally used in this region to replace the Asam Gelugur in sambals and curries.

Asam Gelugur, one of the most popular souring agent used to stabilize curries in Malay dishes. This ingredient is prefered to the tamarind which is much used in Indonesian and Thai dishes. The pinkish young leaves are consumed in ulam and has a sourish zing to it...