The kaki ranks as one of my favourite fruits - it's soft, very sweet and has a beautiful mellow orange colour. This delicious fruit has a long history in Japan, having been introduced from China about 1500 years ago. Depending on where you live, you might know the kaki as a persimmon. As I live in the UK, most of the kaki I buy either come from Spain (where they are called "kaqui") or Israel (where they are known as a "Sharon fruit".) Kaki are very good for you and contain lots of fibre along with Vitamin A and C, phosphorous, potassium and calcium.
The kaki is a winter fruit and is in season from October to January, so availability is just around the corner. I usually buy as many as I can and then ripen them in stages. I'll pop some in the fridge to slow them down, some in the fruit bowl, where they can take a couple of weeks during winter to soften, and then some more in a small cardboard box with some bananas which speeds the ripening process. That way, I can have some in my home until February the following year. You can test a kaki for ripeness by simply giving it a little squeeze - if it gives a little, then it is ready for this receipe.
You can enjoy eating kaki by themselves but personally, I like to use some of mine in salads when they are at an early stage of ripeness and still quite firm and just a little less sweet. My Kaki and Parma ham salad recipe actually comes from Japan where it has been popular for a few years now. I pair it with a balsamic vinegar dressing that I reduce down to a glaze with some honey. I can honestly say it is one of the tastiest salads out there.
This is a very straightforward dish to make. Most of the fruit / vegetable is raw so only requires a little rinsing and cutting. The one exception is the aubergine / eggplant, which I fry with some salt and pepper. The balsamic vinegar glaze takes about 5 - 6 minutes to reduce to a more gooey consistency. Then it is simply a matter of assembling and enjoying.
As I mentioned above, this salad dish works best with kaki that are still quite firm. An overripe kaki would be likely to be a little too soft to cut into pieces and make things a little messy. My only other tip is that if you over reduce the glaze and it becomes too stiff, then you can easily reverse the process by reheating and adding a little more vinegar to loosen it again.
So, there you have it - a delicious, healthy salad that you can make in 20 minutes from start to finish. The servings below are ample enough to use as a lunch or supper.
If you would like to give this recipe a try, you can find the Youtube tutorial by clicking Kaki and Parma Ham salad with Balsamic glaze or by scrolling to the bottom of the page. The written recipe is just below.
Happy cooking! Kurumi XXXX.
ingredients:
(makes two servings)
120g / 4oz salad leaves
1/3 large aubergine/eggplant
1/2 tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper
10 baby tomatoes, rinsed
1 avocado
1 kaki / persimmon
5 large slices of parma ham
100ml / 3.5floz balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp honey
how to:
first, rinse salad leaves. (any salad leaves will do - I used a mix of red and green lettuce leaves.)
cut the piece of aubergine / eggplant in half longways and then slice the two halves. then, cut the slices in half again. soak the pieces in water for about 10 minutes to remove the slightly bitter flavour of the flesh
to make the balsamic glaze, measure 100ml / 3.5floz of balsamic vinegar into a small pan. add the honey and boil for about 5 minutes, until it has reduced to about 2/3rds of the original amount
prepare a medium frying pan with 1/2 tbsp of olive oil over a medium heat. add the aubergine / eggplant pieces and season with a little salt & pepper. fry until slightly coloured and softened which should take 3 - 4 minutes
slice all the baby tomatoes in half
cut the avocado in half and remove the stone. peel and then slice the halves into 7 - 8 slices each
cut off the top from the kaki / persimmon and peel, then cut the fruit into quarters. remove the white core from the four quarters and then cut into chunks
cut the parma ham slices into thirds. roll each piece into a little parcel
to plate up, make a bed of salad leaves on each plate. add the aubergine / eggplant, avocado, parma ham, kaki/persimmon pieces and tomatoes
last, dress with your balsamic glaze
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