the breadfruit - sukun

i have blogged about the breadfruit tree here. i am blogging about it again because when i was in kota kinabalu, at the open-air market, i realised that the fruit is quite popular in sabah. at least popular enough for it to be sold at the market. in singapore, you will not be able to find the sukun - the local name for it - at the supermarkets and most markets. if you are lucky, you may be able to get one from geylang serai market.



also, over in kota kinabalu, at the filipino market, they were selling breadfruit fritters which i managed to get, many years ago, at a stall in haiq road food centre. my friend and former colleague just informed me that the fritters are available at hajah maimunah in joo chiat. the fritter tastes a bit like tapioca (ubi kayu) but it is more fibrous.

i was told by another friend that the ripe breadfruit can be used as a substitute for potato. this means you can use the breadfruit to cook curry dishes in which the potato is used.

as i have mentioned in the earlier post, the breadfruit tree is not that uncommon in singapore. you can find it growing on its own in wasteland, by the roadside and in some private gardens. i think the breadfruit belongs to the same family as the jackfruit.

it is quite easy to identify a breadfruit tree by its large leaves. the breadfruit has unusual shaped leaves. they are more or less cut into 5 to 10pointed lobes. the leaves are glossy on top and have stiff hair on the underside.

the breadfruit (sukun in indonesian/malay)

my friend victor seems to have some special interest in the breadfruit tree. he planted one in a friend's garden at kovan close and he also tried planting one in old monk's hill secondary school. he usually refers to it by the indonesian name of 'sukun'.

at a food stall near geylang serai, they prepare the breadfruit in the same manner as the banana fritters. they cut it into thin slices and deep fry them with a coating of flour. cannot remember the name they give to it. must be goreng sukun. i have eaten it once and i thought it tasted a bit like yam.

there used to be a breadfruit tree growing on the piece of vacated land opposite the rail mall. it was just next to the overhead bridge for pedestrians. breadfruit trees can grow up to 20m tall. along lim chu kang road, if you are going in the direction of the jetty, there are a few breadfruit trees on the right, just after lane 8.