Peewah: Boil and eat or try recipes for benefits

Small like a plum and looks like a baby coconut, Peewah is known for boiling, peeling and eating. The pulp is yellowish and tasty as you bite into the mushy goodness. Just like a lollipop with gum at the centre, Peewah holds a surprise nut at the core. The Peewah fruit comes on a branch in abundance and is known as Peach Palm, Guilielma Gasipaes and Kerekel by many when boiled.

Preparing Peewah

Before Peewah is consumed, it must be cooked. The steps are very simple:

Pick the small fruits off the branch

Wash them off

Place in a pot of water

Add a half teaspoon of salt or to your taste

Boil for 45 minutes

Let cool

Peel each fruit

Enjoy the yellow pulp and nut inside just as a snack

Other ways to enjoy cooked Peewah

The pulp of the Peewah can be used to make any foods you wish. Here are some suggestions:

1. Roll into balls with flour and boil to make dumplings for soup

2. Knead with flour, flatten, cut into triangles and fry to make chips

3. Blend into batter and bake to make cake, cookies or muffins

4. Mash and mix with milk to make a nourishing baby formula

5. Add to vegetables, pastas and salads for a healthier meal

Benefits of Peewah

According to Healthy Benefits Times, Peewah offers energy with its high content of starch. It is helpful for growth with a sufficient amount of folate. It speeds up recovery after debilitating illness or surgery and replenishes energy loss.

It supports vision with rich content of Vitamin A which is essential to relieve dryness of eye and its deficiency results to night blindness.

The fruit enhances immunity with the significant amounts of Vitamin A, Vitamin C and other antioxidants. These can also prevent cancer by interrupting the free radical activities that leads to cancerous growth.

It manages diabetes with a significant amount of fibre that helps prevent spike in blood sugar. The fibre also helps with heart health, vitamins benefit skin health and it helps prevent atherosclerosis and stroke disease.

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