Chicken Salad: Beginner Cook Edition

As requested, here is my take on a simple and nutritious dish.

Chicken salad can take many forms and the only three ingredients that come standard in any chicken salad from my kitchen are shredded chicken, celery and mayo (or substitute such as non-fat plain greek yogurt, nayonaise* or some combination thereof). From there I like to fill in the blanks with either a) whatever I have on hand or b) a "flavor profile" that I am craving.
An easy way to make sure flavors go together is by choosing a food ethnicity and using ingredients common in that type of food. Hundreds of years of cooks from all over the world have assembled these nice "cultural flavor profiles", so why not use them? Especially for beginner cooks, reference your favorite food region and mimic those flavors in your chicken salad.

For example, if you like mexican food, add:
chopped tomatoes
green onion
chopped cilantro
tinian hot pepper
corn
raw chopped chayote
black beans
avocado
ground cumin
squeeze of lime
You could grill the chicken

Moroccan/North African:
chopped fresh mint
chopped parsley
squeeze of lemon
good black olives, pitted and chopped
a pinch of cinnamon
chili powder
chickpeas
yogurt
shredded carrot
chopped almonds

Indian:
cook chicken with crushed green cardamom pods (remove pods after cooking)
tumeric
cumin
some kind of hot pepper
saffron
a pinch of cinnamon
chili powder
yogurt
or, if your feeling daring, garam masala

Thai:
very finely sliced or grated lemongrass
green onion
peanuts
hot pepper
grated ginger
cook the chicken in coconut milk
squeeze of lime
cucumber

If you wanted to get crazy, you could make (or buy) Tom Kha Gai soup and use the chicken and some of the broth to add to your own shredded chicken, celery and chopped cucumber. I haven't tried this, but it would be a good way to add difficult thai flavors like lime leaves and galangal.

Anway, I could go on and on about chicken salad options, but here is the one that I usually end up making because it is tasty and my husband doesn't like "ethnic" food, whatever that means. I adapted this recipe from Gwyneth Paltrow's website, Goop.com, using flexible, Saipan-friendly ingredients.

goop.com

The Saipan, it's not Kelaguen, Chicken Salad

**2 1/2 cups cooked shredded chicken, pan-cooked, roasted or grilled (this is a good recipe for any leftover chicken you have)
3-4 stalks celery, chopped
1/3 cup chopped walnuts or any kind of nuts you have on-hand
4-5 green onions, chopped or 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
Juice of 1/2 lime
1/3 cup chicory or kang kung or broccoli rabe, chopped
1/4 cup halved grapes, any kind dried fruit or fresh apple or pear, chopped
1/2 cup mayo, nayonaise, greek non-fat yogurt (or some combination of these)

Stir everything together and season with salt and pepper to taste. Feel free to adjust the amounts according to your taste.

Let me know how your version turns out!


*Nayonaise is a low-fat, vegan, soy-based alternative to mayo that tastes more like Miracle Whip. Surprisingly, this can be found at Joeten Susupe in the mayo/dressing aisle. I usually mix nayonaise with either some real mayo or non-fat greek yogurt because I don't like the taste of Miracle Whip, but want to cut down on the fat of mayo. When I am in the U.S. and can get it, I go for Vegenaise because it has better nutrition than mayo and tastes amazing (though it is not low-fat).

** There are many ways to cook a chicken! If you have leftover roast chicken, grilled chicken (or Thanksgiving Turkey!), pick the meat off the bones and throw it in the salad. If you want to use chicken breasts, I recommend buying the individually wrapped ones in bulk from the freezer section of Joeten Superstore. Here is a good guide to different cooking methods. Don't worry too much about getting a meat thermometer just for chicken breasts. As long as there is no pink, it's done!

Greens, greens the magical fruit?

 

I have been craving a hearty salad -- not sad romaine shipped from Cali...not oldy spinach also from far away but something fresh.  I bought seeds to plant some micro greens but in the meantime, I thought I would try a few of the local greens raw, a suggestion from my dear mother.  When it comes to raw greens, of course the younger the better and if you are not used to this much roughage in your diet, I strongly advise mixing it with local lettuce or sad romaine from Cali.  Unless you are already on a raw diet--- very hard to do in Saipan ---some raw greens will surely clean you out. So get roughage ready for a short amateur greens lesson and then a tasty salad.

These greens (above) are a close relative or the same (Michelle thought it was different I thought it was the same) as what I have alternately known as gai lan, chinese broccoli or broccoli rabe. It's not always available here, but it is one of my favorite greens cooked so I pick it up whenever I see it. (I like to simply sautee in garlic and olive oil and then put oyster sauce when just cooked)

 

I like it raw, but in small quantitities. Strong mustard greens flavor and slight bitterness are not for the faint of heart.

These greens (above) are the leafy part of a green bean plant. They have a slightly fuzzy texture. It has a very pleasant light green bean flavor and I though it was tasty raw and cooked. (I sauteed some to put on pizza the day after salad day). The stems are hard and I found them be too woody to eat.

 

 

 

These greens (above) are widely available in Saipan and taste to me like baby bok choy or similar also known here by various other names. This is the most delicate of the three and easy on stomach raw-- I throw some in a salad regularly.

 

Saipan Shrimp Salad

 

Take the leaves off each kind of green you are using and wash thoroughly. Set stems aside (not for green bean greens but for the others) to use in soups stir fry or whatever later. Use a salad spinner to dry or if you don't have one, set aside and allow to drain while you deal with shrimp.

 

 

Prepare shrimp. Devein and remove heads, freeze the heads in a ziploc to make stock out of later.

 These beauties are from same local shrimp farm that normally comes to the farmers markets (you can get during the week often at XO market on middle road in the produce section) They were out of the smaller ones -- big ones are just as sweet bigger and more expensive.

 

 

Prepare shrimp marinade which consists of minced garlic, lemon grass, salt, pepper, fresh local citrus of your choice, fresh green chili, red chili flake and a little soy sauce or fish sauce. Mix marinade into deveined shrimp and refrigerate.

 

 

Prepare dressing from citrus, olive oil, salt, pepper, sugar, fish sauce and chili. As hot or mild as you prefer.

 

Section citrus. I used very sweet local tangerines. I got them from two different vendors because I never know which ones will be sweet and sometimes they are sour. This time the smaller ones were super sweet. You could use pomelo. If pomelo or grapefruit is used I would section it properly so there was no skin, but with the little tangerines didn't seem necessary.

 

 

 

Sautee shrimp in a little olive oil or pan spray until garlic done and shrimp turn barely pink.

 

Chop greens, put in serving bowl and add in whatever else you like, romaine cucumber, or whatever.

 

Add chopped basil.

 

Toss salad in vinagrettte.

 

Arrange shrimp on top.  

 

 

ENJOY!!!

 

 

 

Skipjack yum . . .

Thanks Michelle Dong Photograph for making my ugly fish look beautiful!!


One of the things I love about cooking and eating in Saipan is fresh local fish--raw, cooked, keluguen ceviched-- I love it all.  I'm from California, and have been missing  fresh cali-style tacos so fish tacos seemed a perfect choice for my first blog entry. I have been scoping out Mexican ingredients on island for months, in preparation for making good on my promise to some fellow Californians to make them tacos. At long last . . . TACO NIGHT 1.0.

Saturday morning I went to the fish vendors right accross the street from the courthouse on beach road, with cash in hand, ready to make a good taco choice.  I have been hearing that skipjack is a great grilling fish, and there was one about the right size that was caught that morning, so I decided to give it a try.  Ugly looking thing, but delicious.

This fish is pretty tricky to fillet compared with a tuna or salmon because of the hard exo-spiney thing running along the tailside and the size of the spine itself.  You do not have to gut or scale the fish. Using a sharp knife, crack through the spiney part just above the tail. Because the spine is large, I filleted each side of the spine, seperately working the fillet knife from outside in on both sides before seperating the fish completely off the spine from the top of the spine near the head. Cut off the skin with fillet knife and cut out the bones and bloodline, so you end up with four fillets  Save head and spine for stock if you wish.  My knife skills are amateur at best so after I filleted I sliced off the rest of the good head bits, carved out the cheeks and other shavings from near the spine to make a little ceviche. (see ceviche recipe below)

 

Fish Taco Marinade 

garlic finely chopped (about 7-10cloves)

fresh local green chilies finely chopped (about 4)

mild dark chili powder (liberal sprinkle)

ground cumin (liberal sprinkle)

salt

pepper

local lime/lemon/tangerine squeezed (about 3)

olive oil (drizzle)

 

I started out with a five pound fish, and used an amount of the above ingredients that looks about like the picture below.

 

 

Allow to marinate in the referigerator from 20 minutes to about 2 hours, turning to mix it up at least once.

 

Using a fish basket, (I got mine at Ace for between 7 and 8 bucks) grill on high temperature until fish barely looses translucency.  Flake into chunks with your hands or a fork.

 

Skipjack is a mild tastting white fish, with a good amount of fat, soft compared to mahi, but still holds up well on the grill. (sorry no grill pic, the food smelled so good we forgot to take one!)

  

Michelle Dong Photography

  

Serve with homemade tortillas (or buy stale ones imported from Cali if you must) warmed on the grill and your favorite Mexican condiments!

 

Michelle Dong Photography

fish taco foreground, carne asada background.
Shout out to Elhaje for Tinian spicy black and pinto mix slow-cooked beans.

 

 --Enjoy --

 

Skipjack Ceviche

 

I ended up with about 4-5 ounces of fishscrap pieces after filleting and made a little appetizer with it.

 

1. remove any bone or bloodline and cut any larger scraps to bitesize.
2. in a cup/bowl/tupperware add enough local lime/lemon juice to cover (about 2 for 4 oz fish)
3. add chopped fresh chili, green, red whatever to taste(I used long skinny green ones)
4. minced red onion
5. tapatio or other Mexican hotsauce to taste
6. chopped cilatro, or basil
7. salt to taste
8. cover and refrigerate 30 minutes
9. serve alone or with tortilla chips

No taco dinner is complete without copious quantities of margeritas!! Shout out to Guidotti for mad shaker skills!

 

Michelle Dong Photography

 

 
 
 
 

 

Cheers to Chayote

Many of you have probably seen a strange green lump of a vegetable at market. You may feel the need the need to put googly eyes on it, but this is a normal compulsion as it is a hilarious idea. Chayote squash or Christophene is actually a very useful vegetable originating from Mexico that is easily incorporated into a variety of dishes and serves as a great substitute for zucchini in both savory dishes and baking.
Chayote is not only nutritious, but it is also very cheap and fairly easy to find on-island at any vegetable stand or farmer's market. Because not-rotten zucchini is sometimes difficult to find, chayote has become my new vegetable friend. I have used it successfully in a few recipes that call for zucchini and plan to try more. 
Preparing chayote is very easy as it does not even require peeling. Simply dice, slice or shred the chayote as you would zucchini. 

Chayote Bread 
Adapted from the Zucchini bread recipe at smittenkitchen.com

Yield: 2 loaves or approximately 24 muffins

3 eggs
1 cup olive or vegetable oil
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 cups grated chayote (about 2 chayote squashes)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
1 cup dried cranberries, raisins or chocolate chips or a combination thereof (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Grease and flour two 8×4 inch loaf pans, liberally. Alternately, line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk. Mix in oil and sugar, then chayote and vanilla.

Combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder and salt, as well as nuts, chocolate chips and/or dried fruit, if using.

Stir this into the egg mixture. Divide the batter into prepared pans.

Bake loaves for 60 minutes, plus or minus ten, or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Muffins will bake far more quickly, approximately 20 to 25 minutes.

Best Ever Turkey Meatloaf 

adapted from a recipe by Bobby Flay

Health Note: It is sometimes difficult, if even possible, to find lean ground turkey on Saipan. You may be able to find lean ground turkey around the holidays but otherwise only the all-fat-in kind is usually available at Costco. Beware, using this kind of turkey does not make this a low-fat meal, but it is still incredibly delicious. I have read that you can grind your own turkey using either a meat grinder, or just a simple food processor fitted with a steel blade. A few pulses is all it takes. Grinding your own meat would of course require buying an entire turkey unless you stumble upon boneless, skinless turkey breasts somewhere. If you try this method, please post your findings!

I really love this recipe. Feel free to throw in shredded carrot or mushrooms or whatever veg you have on hand. It is difficult to mess this one up!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small chayote, finely diced
• 1 red bell pepper, finely diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper (could simply use another red bell), finely diced
• 5 cloves garlic, smashed to a paste with coarse salt
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 1/2 pounds ground turkey (90 percent lean)
• 1 cup panko (coarse Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Heat the oil in a large saute pan over high heat. Add the zucchini, bell peppers, garlic paste and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the vegetables are almost soft, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Whisk the egg and fresh herbs in a large bowl. Add the turkey, panko, grated cheese, 1/2 cup ketchup, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar and the cooled vegetables; mix until just combined.
Gently press the mixture into a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan. Whisk the remaining 1/4 cup ketchup, 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes in a small bowl; brush the mixture over the entire loaf. Bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
Shopping Note: Fresh thyme has been available fairly regularly at Joeten Susupe.

Papaya Project

There are several varieties of papaya available. To me, the redder the flesh the more anise flavor while the orange or yellow flesh seems to be muskier. We used different varieties interchangeably for the papaya project.

A couple of weeks ago, my friend Najia and I decided to make an entire meal centered around papaya and test it on our best guys. Papaya is one of the most ubiquitous and inexpensive local fruits our fair island has to offer. Serendipitously, it is also very good for you. The nutrients in papaya promote the health of the cardiovascular system and also provide protection against colon cancer. In addition, papaya contains the digestive enzyme, papain, which is often extracted from papaya for use in meat tenderizers. The presence of this enzyme means that, not only is papaya a great meat tenderizer, it is also a good accompaniment to meat as it helps your body break down the proteins. OK enough about healthy eating; lets get to the results.


The Menu
Papaya and Coconut milk smoothie (with rum added of course)
Papaya Bruschetta w/ Goat Cheese 

Thai Green Papaya Salad

Papaya-Marinated Steak with Papaya glaze and salsa

Although we happened to hit quite a few dud recipes, there were some gems as well. The smoothie was tasty and rather rich and would make a great breakfast in itself (rum optional). The bruschetta was outstanding and would also work well as a salsa. The green papaya salad was very good, though upon tasting Spicy Thai's salad, could use some tweaking. I will definitely try it again. The salsa was rather disappointing as it was dry and carroty. Thanks, but no thanks, Martha Stewart. The steak was O.K. tasting, but it certainly was tender. Perhaps better cuts of meat would have made a difference. The glaze added a nice sweetness, but didn't add much else. So, here are the dishes that did work.


    Papaya as Tenderizer

Shredding papaya into a pitcher for the tenderizing marinade.

Shredded Papaya

Recipe adapted from BBQ Backyard.com

Ingredients:

One green or some-what ripe papaya. It is easier and more effective if the papaya is still rather firm and unripe.

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup kosher salt

1 gallon water

Directions:

Seed the fruit.

Grate it.

Mix the sugar, salt and water to make a brine. (If using less water, keep the ratio 2:1, sugar to salt)

Put the papaya and meat in a large pitcher. This fits better in the frig. Cover with brine. 

Leave the marinate out if it will be cooked in 3 hours. Otherwise, refrigerate after leaving it out for 3 hours. 

Note: As this tenderizer is very effective, do not use it on chicken unless you want chicken porridge. Also, if marinating pork, reduce the marinate time significantly.

The very tender, resulting steak.

Papaya Bruschetta

Papaya bruschetta served with goat cheese on toasted baguette

Recipe from Allrecipes.com

Frankly, I was surprised at how good this was. It was well-received by all. 

Ingredients:

• 1 papaya
• 5 roma (plum) tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
•  
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1 French baguette, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

Special Equipment:

Food processor or blender

Directions

1. Cut papaya in half and remove seeds. Reserve 2 tablespoons of seeds for the dressing. Peel and dice the papaya, and place in a medium bowl. Add tomatoes, red onion, red pepper and basil, and set aside.
2. In a food processor or blender, combine the papaya seeds, sugar, wine vinegar, oil, mustard and green onions. Process until smooth and thick, and most of the seeds have broken up. Pour over the papaya mixture and stir to coat all of the ingredients. Serve with slices of baguette.

Note: We added goat cheese, but I think any soft cheese would work. This also goes great with plain tortilla chips.

Thai Green Papaya Salad (Som Tam)

Recipe from food.com
Ingredients:

• About 1lb julienned really green unripe papayas
• 3 tomatoes, wedged
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon dried shrimp, fried with little oil
• 8 fresh birds eye chiles, sliced
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar or 1 tablespoon palm sugar
• 1 tablespoon roasted peanuts, pounded coarsely
• 1 tablespoon roasted cashew nuts (optional)
• fresh long beans, cut into 2 inch (we used green beans)
• cabbage, shredded

Directions:

Pound garlic until fine. Add garlic, lime juice, fish sauce,brown sugar in a bowl. Mix well. Add papaya, tomato wedges and chili into a big mixing bowl. Stir in the garlic mixture into papaya bowl. Adjust seasoning if necessary. It should be a mixture of sweet, sour and salty. Toss in dried shrimp, ground peanut and cashew nut. Served with long beans, cabbage or other raw vegetables.

I will try making this again and let you all know how it goes.


Papaya and Coconut Milk Smoothie

Ingredients: 1 ripe papaya
6 tablespoons coconut milk
5 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 teaspoon grated lime peel (optional)
4 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup finely crushed ice

Add rum or other alcohol to taste (optional)

Directions: 

1. Peel the papaya, cut it in half, remove the black seeds, and chop the fruit coarsely.
2. Combine the papaya, coconut milk, lime juice and peel, sugar, vanilla, and ice in an electric mixer blender. Blend at high speed until mixture is smooth and thick.
3. Serve in chilled tumbler.


Note: Instead of using ice, you could probably use frozen papaya.





We drank ours too fast to take a picture. This is a close approximation of what it looked like.

Other Papaya Uses:


Face Mask

The fruit enzymes found in papayas are know to aid and accelerate healing in skin disorders such as acne. In addition, the fruit enzymes gently exfoliate the skin. Papaya, I think I love you.

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh pineapple

1/2 cup fresh papaya

1 tablespoon honey

Directions:

1. Purée the fruit in a blender or food processor.
2. Add honey and blend until the mixture makes a smooth paste.
3. Apply mask to clean skin on your face and neck. Gently steaming your pores open before applying the mask will increase the benefits of it.
4. Leave mask on for 15 to 20 minutes. Recline and relax.
5. Rinse face and neck with warm water.

Healthy Snack

I love fresh papaya with greek yogurt (when I can find it at Costco) and honey. It is great to eat as a digestive after a meal.


Green Papaya Pickles recipe by Joe Pangalinan of Yigo, Guam

Ingredients:

1 medium papaya on the verge of ripening

1 cup distilled white vinegar

1 cup water

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 or 3 "boonie" peppers (optional)

Directions:

Peel the papaya, cut in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Slice the papaya lengthwise into sticks. Place papaya sticks upright in a sterilized mason jar. This is done by boiling the jar in water for 10 minutes. Add sugar, salt, pepper and boonie peppers, if using. Fill the jar with an equal mixture of vinegar to water to cover the papaya.

Cover the jar tightly with lid and store in the refrigerator for one week, shaking the jar regularly. You may also can the papaya to preserve it for up to one year. Canning is actually one of the easiest things to do. All you need is a sterile mason jar with a two-part lid, a large pot, water and tongs. 

Canning:

Fill your jar with whatever you want to can, leaving about 1/2 inch at the top. Put lid on and tighten the band securely. Lower the jar(s) into boiling water, making sure the water covers the jar by about 1 inch. Boil the jar(s) for about 10 minutes. Remove the jar from the water and allow to cool on kitchen towel. At some point, you should here a sucking sound followed by a pop. This is the air leaving the jar. After the jar has cooled, press on the lid.  It should not move up and down. If it does move, the jar has not been canned properly and must be refrigerated and eaten soon. If the jar lid does not move, Congratulations! You have food that will be fresh for a year or longer. Good work.

To market, to market....

            Upon hearing about farmer's markets on Saipan, I was anxious to dig in. I walked to market with smile and green eco-bag in tow. My smile flattened when I found that none of the green, spiky produce was recognizable and I felt alien at a place where I expected to feel at home. Farmer's markets on Saipan may seem daunting, but increasingly, more familiar produce is appearing. Even the green, spiky stuff is really good if you know how to use it.

            Knowledge is power and I hope this post will encourage more Saipan cooks to venture out to farmer's markets armed with recipes and targeting unfamiliar produce. Though some types of produce on Saipan are seasonal, many others grow year-round. The photos in this post were taken on Saturday, April 7, 2012 at the Sabalu Farmer's Market on Beach Rd. across from Marianas High School. This market is open from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m., but a good time to go is after 7 and before 9:30.

Breadfruit

Its name is derived from the texture of the cooked fruit, which has a potato-like flavor, similar to fresh-baked bread. Breadfruit can replace potato in almost any recipe. See this handy link for tips on how to prepare and cook breadfruit.

Jackfruit

Jackfruit is sometimes already cut up and ready to cook. Young jackfruit must be peeled and cooked though ripe jackfruit can be used in baking and cooking. Watch for upcoming jackfruit recipes!

The flesh of the jackfruit is starchy and fibrous, and is a source of dietary fibre. The flavor of a ripe fruit is similar to a tart banana.

                                                                     Soursop

Its flavor has been described as a combination of strawberry and pineapple with sour citrus flavor notes contrasting with an underlying creamy flavor reminiscent of coconut or banana. Soursop goes great with anything dairy. Last christmas, I made soursop jam to send home to the fam. This was the kind of jam that does not agree with toast, but is great on ice cream or made into sorbet. You can also just peel it and eat the white flesh as is, avoiding the seeds as they are not digestible. When soursop is ripe, it should be a little soft to the touch or ask the vendors when the fruit will be ripe. They are knowledgeable and always happy to help.
Chayote

The chayote fruit is used in both raw and cooked forms. When cooked, chayote is usually handled like summer squash, it is generally lightly cooked to retain the crisp flavor. Raw chayote may be added to salads or salsas, and it is often marinated with lemon or lime juice or you can glue on googley eyes and have a blast. It can also be eaten straight, although the bland flavor makes this a dubious endeavor. See post on Chayote recipes.

Pechay (Pok Choy or Bok Choy)

When the time comes to start cooking, you'll find that bok choy is extremely adaptable. Boiling, steaming, stir-frying and even deep-frying are all possibilities. Pechay is an easy and inexpensive way to add some green to your food. It has a light flavor and is ideal lightly sauteed until wilted.


 Calamansi (Philipino Lime)

Calamansi, a native fruit of the Philipines, is the result of a rare natural cross between citrus and kumquat. They are sour and acidic and can be used in place of lemons or limes in marinades, desserts or cocktails. Note: Most citrus fruits on Saipan are green. Usually, lemons, limes, oranges and tangerines are green on the outside. Ask your vendor which type of citrus fruit they are selling because it is often difficult to tell.

Green Mango 

Sour, unripe mangoes are used in chutneys, pickles, or side dishes, or may be eaten raw with salt,chili, or soy sauce. Of course, ripe mango season is just around the corner!

                                                         Mountain Apple
                                  

 Despite its name, a ripe mountain apple only resembles an apple on the outside in color. It does not taste like an apple, and it has neither the fragrance nor the density of an apple. Its texture is similar to starfruit, and the liquid-to-flesh ratio of the mountain apple is comparable to a watermelon. The ripe fruit is perfect to eat as-is.

                                                             Tangerines

Tangerines on Saipan can be very small and are almost completely green. Flavors range from tart to sweet. The peel is often entirely separated from the fruit when ripe, making these little greenies an easy snack. Hint: Slightly rubbing the fruit between your palms before peeling can make the fruit a little sweeter and easier to peel.

                                                                 Cassava (yucca)

 Cassava can be cooked in various ways. The soft-boiled root has a delicate flavor and can replace boiled potatoes in many uses. Cassava must be cooked properly to detoxify it before it is eaten.

Local Pumpkin/Squash and local ginger                       

Pumpkin and ginger are usually always available at market. Use the local pumpkin as you would regular pumpkin or butternut squash. The local ginger is fairly mild, so you may need to use more than you normally would. See recipe share page for a great soup recipe using local pumpkin.

Winged Bean

The flavor of the beans has a similarity to asparagus and these can be prepared as you would any green bean. First, be sure to peel off the hard ends, then they can be boiled, steamed or sauteed. 

         

Plantains (cooking banana)

Plantains are treated in much the same way as potatoes and with a similar neutral flavour and texture when the unripe fruit is cooked by steaming, boiling or frying. I like to wait until the plantain is very ripe and sweet and then thinly slice and saute it in a little butter. 

Other familiar faces you will see at market       

Bananas

Avocados

Fresh Eggs

Hot peppers 

Tropical Flowers

Local Pomegranates 

Papaya (a year-round digestive aid-Yey!)

And of course coconut, cucumbers, tomatoes, green onions, local lemons, and amazing hot food and baked goods ready to go.

Saipan Market Times

Saturday Sabalu Market, Susupe: 6 -11 a.m.

Tuesday Garapan Farmers Market, across from Kristo Rai church: 4-7 p.m.

Thursday Garapan Street Market (includes several fresh produce vendors): 5-8 p.m.

Special thanks to Najia Shareef for the beautiful photos!!