What is that thing?
Cut it in half and the fruit inside can only be described as ‘radioactive purple’. The color is so vibrant that neither of my cameras could pick it up correctly. So intense it will stain the cutting board, your fingers, your lips and tongue, your clothes, and yes, even your urine. So striking that it could only be called - Dragon Fruit (or translated from Chinese - Fire Dragon Fruit 火龙果).
Dragon fruit - or Pitaya - has a pinkish-red skin, and usually a white fruit speckled with tiny black seeds similar to kiwi. But the sweeter, more flavorful type has a vivid purple fruit. A fruit I was shocked to see, and taste, when I first visited Malaysia.
But I have to admit after eating so many of them over the years, a ripe purple dragon fruit is becoming too sweet for my taste. So when Reese’s mom bought us one from the morning market the other day, I decided to blend it into a juice with a couple of contrasting flavors – lemon juice and fresh mint leaf.
With the sour lemon flavor, and the refreshing spice of mint, I think I’ve tamed the dragon and invented another Malaysian tropical cocktail – Fire Dragon Juice!
Or it would have been a cocktail if I hadn’t rum out of run. I mean, run out of rum. Wait a second, maybe there is a shot of rum in this.
Fire Dragon Juice by Season with Spice
Makes 2 glasses
Ingredients:
The process:
Makes 2 glasses
Ingredients:
1/2 of a large purple dragon fruit (pitaya)
2 tbsp of freshly squeezed lemon juice
8 mint leaves
1 can of soda water
Ice cubes
1 shot of rum (optional, but highly recommended)
1 shot of rum (optional, but highly recommended)
The process:
1. Peel, and cut the dragon fruit into chunks, and place in blender. Add lemon juice, and blend.
2. Add mint leaves to blender and blend for just a second so there are parts of the leaves still visible in the drink.
3. Add half a shot of rum each into two glasses with your preferred number of ice cubes. Then fill both glasses halfway with the blended mix. Top off with soda water (but be careful since dragon fruit and carbonated drinks have a bit of an explosive reaction).
4. Garnish with mint leaves and a slice of lemon, and drink until you're purple in the face!
