Pomelos (sometimes refer to as pummelos) must in season this time of year, just like many other citrus fruits such as mandarins and tangerines. It’s a nice treat to find such bright orange and yellow fruits in the drab of winter. Plus the extra Vitamin C is good to have around to stay healthy.

Pomelos can easily be found at many Asian grocery stores, usually priced at $3 each.  The Chinese like to have pomelos around for their new year celebration.  It symbolizes abundance and prosperity.  Must be due to the size of this fruit!

I thought I had seen my share of giant pomelo, until I came across this one shaped like a bowling pin.

According to Purdue University horticulture department, there are many different cultivars of pomelo grown in Thailand. This one is call “Kao Phuang or Khao Phoang” meaning ‘White tassel’. This may be the only commercial cultivar of Thailand that is in great demand. As large amounts are usually exported to Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia. Although many are also grown in Indio, California.

The pummelo is native to southeastern Asia and all of Malaysia; grows wild on river banks in the Fiji and Friendly Islands. It may have been introduced into China around 100 B.C. It is much cultivated in southern China (Kwang-tung, Kwangsi and Fukien Provinces) and especially in southern Thailand on the banks to the Tha Chine River; also in Taiwan and southernmost Japan, southern India, Malaya, Indonesia, New Guinea and Tahiti. - Julia F. Morton, Purdue University

But don’t let all the skin fool you, as most of it is the pithy (sponge like) part just underneath the skin.  I didn’t cut up my fruit almost 1 week later.  These supposedly can keep up to 3 months so they can be shipped long distant.  But I probably wouldn’t wait that long to eat any fruit.

After all the cutting and peeling…  the inside is the real treat which is very good.  It’s very sweet and juicy with hardly a hint of bitterness.  It’s not only good, but good for you.

I really loved the smell of the rinds.  I even saved some for potpourri, but the citrus scent was too faint.  But another great thing to do with the peels is make candied pomelo peel.

Candied anything reminds me of Chinese New Year too. I would have tired it with these peels but didn’t think they are organic pomelo. I guess you can always soak them in vinegar and scrub real well. Maybe next time.

Here is the recipe using simple syrup and just simmering the peels until it turns translucent. It may take a while, but probably worth it! The key here is to remove as much of the pith (white foamy part) as possible.

The one pictured here is from Sunset magazine.  It makes a great sweet treat for any occasion.  But they use an unusual whole-peel technique.  Check it out here.

It does look really good!  But my instructions below was inspired by the New York magazine food section and could be just as easy and good to make.

Photo from Sunset.

Instructions:

Peel pomelo, cut the peel into 1/4 inch wide strips. Remove as much of the pith as possible (it’s the white foam like bitter part).

Boil some water in a pot, add the pomelo peel. Blanch for 1 minute. Remove the peel and drain. Repeating this 3 times with new water. As this removes some the peel’s bitterness.

After the 3rd blanch, refill the pot with 2 cups of fresh water and 1/2 cup of sugar. Dissolve over low heat. Add the peel and boil for almost 1 hour until the liquid evaporates.

When it’s done, place the peels in a wire rack to cool. Sprinkle with sugar or dipped in chocolates. It can be stored airtight for 2-3 weeks.