Cameron Highlands Tea Plantation, Malaysia

Monday, July 6, 2009

The perfect bite: Cempedak fritters

I've alway loved cempedak fritters and allow me to share with you a little tea time indulgence we’ve had yesterday, of which I can’t stop thinking about at this very moment. A stroll around any markets or pasar malam here will have you drawn towards the vast array of these aromatic fruits. With its pungent aroma, my knees got all wobbly and I couldn't resist buying them. Having them deep fried is simply delicious as the crispiness of the fritters are plain enticing to the taste-buds! As tempting as it may sound, it is one of the tropical fruits that is available once a year when it is in season.

Incase you are wondering, the scientific name is artocarpus integer but I find it hard to pronounce and it just sounds a bit weird to me. Cempedak looks similar to the jackfruit in appearance except that it is much smaller in size but it is definitely huge in comparison to other fruits. It is also sweet, sticky and when the fruit is ripe, it emits a strong, unique aroma that fills the environment, similar to the durians. If you like durians, it's no big deal for you to conquer the cempedak too.


The outer husk will turn light green when the fruit is ripe with dark brown spots appearing on the entire flattened studs. It also appears to be slightly sticky when you touch it due to the secretion of white latex through the husk.

As the fruit secretes sticky latex, it is best to apply a liberal coating of clean oil on your knife before and after cutting open the cempedak. The husk is thick, yet soft, so it is easy to cut it length-wise into half.

There are about 50 to 60 pulps which can be eaten raw and they are fragrant, sweet, yellowish-orange flesh which encases each brown seed inside.

Here's my version of quick and easy to prepare snack. The combination of flour, a tablespoon of rice flour, a dash of salt, sugar and ENO impart a delicate sweet, rich and delightful flavour. When the batter is set, deep fried until golden brown. Remove the fritters from the wok and set aside for at least 15 mins.

The delish fritters are always a hit in the household and voila, the whole plate was emptied within secs by the hungry kids. It's easy enough to prepare and perfect to snack on in front of the TV with a cup of flavourful tea. They are a popular choice amongst those who love crispy batter with that wonderful crunchy texture as you savour every bite.

The hard seeds are edible too when boiled or roasted but we don't eat them

So what are you people waiting for, savour these fruits which is in season now and have fun.

First Commenter - Ladyviral

50 comments:

  1. Oooh. I miss this! Cempedaks! Yummy! Send some over :D.

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  2. Another great tropical fruit education for us Americans. So the seeds are inside the pulps and you eat the flesh and those are the "pits"?

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  3. Oh yum! You reminded me of one of my fav snacks. Haven't eaten one for ages. I like the fritters better than the fruit itself.

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  4. Hi ladyviral,
    you're more than welcome to join me if you can. Cempedaks are aplenty here and i can't get enough of them too:)

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  5. Julia,
    it's a native fruit here. The waxy and golden yellow flesh is sweet and has a pleasant aroma. It can be eaten raw (the taste is just like chestnuts), deep fried or processed into juice.

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  6. Mei Teng,
    I find ppl who don't eat durians think this is stinky. i hate cutting them but love them fried. i only eat them in moderation though cos it's too much for my waistline. :)

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  7. ah, i love this fruit! but i didn't dare to eat too much of it because of its "heat".

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  8. OMG!!!! It's been so long since I ate cempedak fritters! You are making me salivating over your photos.

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  9. You don't eat the seeds. I love the seeds, I even eat the ones left over by my son and hubby.

    But they say, can get "wind" eating them.

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  10. exactly levian. the Chinese consider it a very heaty fruit so it's best to eat everything in moderation.

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  11. lina,
    if it's possible, i'll definitely send them via courier to you. :D

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  12. Arggghhh...cempedakkkkkkkkkkkkkk! :D It's been so long since I sink my teeth into these yummy-licious fruits. Ouh....I'm imagining myself devouring the orange-yellowish flesh in my salivating mouth...

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  13. Cempedak it's like 10 times tastier than Jackfruit! Especially after you fried it. Ahh.....

    The name is weird. artocarpus integer? The integer is something we learnt in school right? LOL ;P

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  14. I eat those seeds too. Very yummy you know. The other I saw these at the pasar malam...arhgg..should have bought it..

    Anyway thanks for sharing! :D

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  15. Ha can't enough of them and still inviting me? We would end up fighting for until the last one! haha. I haven't been able to find them fried Cempedaks near my place now a days. I see a lot of banana fritters instead.

    And woot! Didn't realized I was FC in your blog today! Thanks alot!

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  16. i havent tast durian ...just durian candy flavors

    hello my friend can i have a favor???
    can you vote for my entry here
    http://bluedreamer27.blogspot.com/2009/06/i-love-blogging.html

    thanks a lot!!!

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  17. I have tried pies made with this huge fruit and they're very nice.

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  18. oh one of my favourite fruits in batter! awesome!

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  19. Tekkaus,
    yup, it's cempedak frenzy now and they are widely available here. even as I type this, my keyboard is drowning by my saliva. :D

    as much as i love cempedak, i love jackfruits too. they are really sweet, soft -textured and has a good fragrance.

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  20. ladyviral,
    although i can't get enough of them, it doesn't mean i have them for 3 square meals a day. i'll puke right away and too much of them are definitely not good for my waistline. :) rest assured, there will be no cat fights when u come here. haha

    so this fruit is unavailable in your area? i can see now why you people are craving for my cempedak. :):)

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  21. bluedreamer,
    unfortunately, i don't like durian candy. nothing beats the real thing.

    sure thing, i'll visit u in a short while. ;)

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  22. Dora,
    pies are not exactly my cup of tea. happy monday!

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  23. hi life ramblings
    thanks for your time
    i think the link is working now or you can go directly here
    http://blognirey.com/

    thanks a lot i really appreciate it..
    happy blogging

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  24. wooow I love them fried...so yummy!! ;)

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  25. So this is not really jackfruit? It really looks like it. I love jackfruit and maybe I'll be ok with this one too. Interesting about having it fried, I must try that given the chance.

    goodnight!!

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  26. Morning LR! I love cempedak goreng too! But kinda hard to find a stall selling nice ones. :)

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  27. bluedreamer,
    i'll keep trying and vote for you if i can. :)

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  28. Monica,
    they are simply irresistible, aren't they?

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  29. Ayie,
    you like jackfruits too? yay, gimme a hi-5.

    cempedaks are related closely to Jack fruits. They both look similar from the outer skin except cempedak is smaller and with stronger smell than jack fruits.

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  30. mariuca,
    oh really? then you should try mine. nothing beats my home fried cempedak. hehe

    enjoy your Tuesday too.

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  31. I won't say it is not available in my area.. just harder to find now a days. More Udang Cucur and Goreng Pisang.

    Hahah well, am not saying three meals a day on it :P. But guess it is rest assured you and I both will get our share :).

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  32. I have never tried cempadak fritters. I find the smell of cempadak too strong.

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  33. I love cempedak! So yummy!! I eat the seeds too! They are like snacks to me!

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  34. Cempedak fritters are absolutely delicious!! I'm drooling just thinking about it! haha!

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  35. Yes, the scientific name sound so weird but I guess most of them sound weird anyway. LOL! I like nangka too, but if compared to cempedak, I think cempedak is better.

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  36. But I haven't tried the tarap fruit from Sabah yet! Sabahans said the tarap fruit is even more delicious than cempedak! Ooh, I hope to taste it one day and make a comparison!

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  37. But I think, my No.1 fruit is still the King - durians!! I think we're so lucky to be living in Malaysia. Our local fruits beat all those foreign fruits, don't you agree? : )

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  38. ladyviral,
    pisang goreng is another hit here and we eat them occasionally too but unfortunately, udang cucur is not my cup of tea. anyway, nothing beats my homemade cempedak fritters. yum! :D

    so what are you waiting for??

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  39. ECL,
    i personally prefer cempedak to jackfruit which is much sweeter and stronger in flavour. :)

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  40. foong,
    aft consuming those fritters, my stomach doesn't have much storage for seedsleh. but i agree that durians will stick out like no other fruit.

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  41. That's why i thought at first it's really jackfruit. Maybe the smell i can't take so I will stick with my jackfruit. That's my childhood favorite =) I won't mind trying your fritter too =P

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  42. i like to eat fried cempedak one...smell very nice

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  43. ya...now durian season near end d..so it;s time for cempedak?

    wonderful...do u mind to exchange link with me?

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