In season: Kiwifruit

 

Article By: Georgina Leonard and Melanie Eslick   Print   Email

 

Originally called Chinese gooseberries, the name kiwifruit was given to this Autumnal, cylindrical, green and highly nutritious fruit by New Zealand growers. Now it's at it best! Originally called Chinese gooseberries, the name kiwifruit was given to this cylindrical, hairy, green fruit by New Zealand growers. Now available in many variations – yellow, mini – this Autumn favourite is at its best and is one of the most nutritious fruits you'll find – and it's delicious too!

Health benefits of kiwifruit
At just 225 kilojoules per large fruit, kiwifruit is a nutritional superstar! Kiwifruit is packed with vitamin C and potassium, giving oranges and bananas a run for their money. It's a good source of fibre and lutein (a carotenoid thought to benefit eye health). Kiwifruit also contains vitamin E, an anti-oxidant most typically found in high-fat foods like oil and nuts. And for all that nutrition, one serving contains no saturated fat, cholesterol and a tiny amount of sodium.

Selection, storage and preparation
Choose firm kiwifruit and let it ripen. Unripe fruit will be firm to touch, while ripe kiwifruit will give to gentle pressure. Avoid very soft skin and shrivelled, bruised fruit with soft spots.

Kiwifruit can be left to ripen for a few days to a week at room temperature, away from direct light or heat. Placing it in a paper bag with an apple, banana or pear will speed up the ripening process as these fruits produce ethylene gas. Ripe kiwifruit can be stored at room temperature or in the fridge. If you want to store ripe kiwifruit for longer than a few days, place it in a plastic bag in the fridge, as the plastic bag helps reduce moisture loss and keeps the fruit fresh for longer.

Nutritionally, kiwifruit is best eaten raw.

Cooking with kiwifruit
Kiwifruit is used mostly as a dessert or breakfast food. However, it has an acid-based juice which contains proteases, which break down the protein in meat, making it an ideal meat tenderiser. Simply marinate your steaks by covering the meat with thin slices of peeled kiwifruit for several hours. Remove the kiwifruit and pat dry with paper towel. Grill, pan-fry or bake according to your recipe.

Kiwifruit is often used to dress pavlovas, along with strawberries and passionfruit. The proteases in kiwifruit also break down the proteins in whipped cream, so it's best to eat the pavlova as quickly as possible after assembling it!

Kiwifruit can be eaten whole with the skin on or halved with the flesh scooped out with a spoon. Apart from these obvious ways of enjoying it, we have collected our favourite recipes and ideas to get you inspired.

• Kiwifruit is delicious combined with banana in smoothies. Simply chop and freeze ½ a small banana. Place in a blender with 1 peeled and chopped kiwifruit. Add ¾ cup skim milk and 1 scoop of artificially sweetened vanilla icecream. Process until blended. Serves 1 with a POINTS value of 3.5 per serve.
• Kiwifruit yoghurt sounds unusual, however it is quite delicious. Peel and chop 2 kiwifruit. Place in a food processor with 2 tbs artificial sweetener. Process until well combined. Taste for sweetness, adding more sweetener if necessary. Cook the kiwifruit mixture in a small saucepan over medium heat until thick. Allow to cool completely. Fold kiwifruit mixture though 500g low-fat natural yoghurt, creating a swirly affect. Spoon the yoghurt into individual serving glasses and refrigerate to set. Serves 4 with a POINTS value of 1.5 per serve.
• Kiwifruit salsa is great to accompany grilled meats and seafood. Cut 2 kiwifruit into small cubes and place in a bowl. Cut 1 small firm mango into small cubes (you could also use papaya – aka pawpaw), add to the kiwifruit. Add 1 Lebanese cucumber which has been deseeded and cut into small cubes, 2 tbs chopped coriander, 2 thinly sliced shallots, 1 tbs lime juice and 1 tbs fish sauce. Toss to combine and season with cracked black pepper. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes for flavours to develop. Serves 4 with a POINTS value of 1 per serve.
• For a quick tropical fruit salad combo, peel and slice a kiwifruit and place in a bowl. Trim and slice 6 strawberries and add to kiwifruit. Combine with 1 cup cubed pineapple and add the pulp from 1 passionfruit. Scatter with a few blueberries. Serves 1 with a POINTS value of 2 per serve.

• Bruleed kiwi and grape cheesecakes
• Ice cream sundaes