How To Cook With Persimmons

If you’ve never cooked with persimmons, now is the time to try.

Kitchen whiz Poh Ling Yeow shares her tips for choosing, preparing and cooking persimmons.

Eat persimmons in season

“Eating with the seasons is something I encourage everyone to try because the produce and flavours you experience are much better and it helps support local growers,” says Poh.

Buy persimmons when they are at their best in autumn.

Know your fruit

There are two common varieties of persimmon: the heart-shaped original persimmon, and the round sweet persimmon, also known as fuyu fruit.

“If you are buying sweet persimmons, which comprise 90 per cent of the market, they will be round and should be firm as they are at their best when eaten crisp and crunchy like an apple, although they also taste fantastic when left to soften,” says Poh.

Sweet persimmons range in colour from pale orange to almost red, and their peel can be eaten.

“Original persimmons are heart-shaped and ready to eat when the flesh is soft and jelly-like so it is best to select one that yields gently to palm pressure,” explains Poh. “Then you can allow it to ripen at room temperature until mushy.”

PHOTOS: Five Perfect Persimmon Recipes

How to eat persimmons fresh

Poh loves eating fresh persimmons. “I like to peel and quarter the sweet type as it’s a brilliantly clean, tasty and healthy snack,” she says.

“With the original, I love to tear or cut away the calyx – or the top – then scoop into nature’s little bowl of ready-made, sweet, silky jelly.”

How to incorporate persimmons into your cooking

Add crunchy persimmons to salads, or serve them with strong cheeses, bitter leaves and nuts. “Soft, gooey original persimmons or sweet ones that have gone beyond their firm stage are also great for cooking – just pop them into a cake or muffin mix for an autumnal update to your traditional baked goods,” says Poh.

MORE: Poh's Nyonya Chicken Curry Recipe

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