This afternoon, we discovered the joy that is the Double Dragon Market here in Des Moines. I've had mixed experiences with Asian markets... many of them seem to be tiny, dirty and under-staffed. This was an absolute delight. I came in search of braised wheat gluten (a truly delicious meat subtitute that I occasionally get cravings for) and left with bags full of delicacies that I haven't seen outside of Thailand and/or Japan. In fact, I got so much tasty canned fruit that I decided to make an Asian fruit salad, w/ a little mandarin orange and kiwi thrown in for a tart counterbalance. Pure bliss!
1/3 cup rambutan, cut into chunks
1/3 cup longans, halved
1/3 cup coconut gel cubes
1/3 cup mandarin oranges
1 kiwi, cut into chunks
lime juice to taste
1 large sprinkling dried ginger
1 pinch nutmeg
Drain all fruit and combine in a bowl. Sprinkle with lime juice, ginger and nutmeg. Stir to coat.
Ingredient Notes: You can get all of the stranger-named fruits at the Double Dragon or any well-stocked Asian market. Don't worry... they're all clearly labeled in English.
