Buah Kepayang, Poisonous Yet Delectable

By Nurul Halawati Mohamad Azhari KUALA LUMPUR, June 7 (Bernama) -- It is literally laced with the deadly cyanide but, still, buah kepayang is sought-after as a delicacy by some communities in this region. Although almost every part of the buah kepayang tree is poisonous, its fruit – or more specifically its seeds – are a mainstay of Peranakan (Straits Chinese) cuisine and even used in Malay and Indonesian cooking. The tree's wood, leaves, fruit and seeds all contain hydrocyanic acid or cyanide, which is a deadly poison. Of course, the seeds have to be leached of the poison before they can be thrown into the cooking pot; there are a number of ways to do this, including boiling the seeds first before burying them with ash in a pit for 40 days. The seeds develop an unappetising black shade after the poison is drained off or neutralised but, appearance aside, buah kepayang devotees are known to wax lyrical about its delectable taste. Apparently, it is the creamy texture and flavour it adds to the dish that has diners coming back for extra helpings. A few food bloggers have listed buah kepayang as among the world's most strange or weird foods, most probably due to all that cyanide it contains in its pre-edible stage. The fruit has also made its way into a Malay rhyme and even the lyrics of a song crooned by the late P. Ramlee. CRUNCHY SNACK The scientific name for buah kepayang, or buah keluak as it is also known as is pangium edule, and the tree is native to Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. Locally, the buah kepayang tree grows mainly in the jungles. It can grow up to 24 metres in height and the reddish-brown fruits range from 15 to 17 centimetres in length. Each fruit contains six to eight seeds, with the young seeds containing more hydrocyanic acid than the ripe ones. In places like Ulu Tembeling and Jerantut in Pahang, vendors can be seen selling a snack made out of buah kepayang seeds that are cut into strips, coated with turmeric and then deep-fried. A favourite with the locals and visitors alike, two handfuls of the snack cost between RM3 and RM5 (between US$0.70 and US$1.10). Jerantut-born clerk Maznah Abu Bakar, 46, who works in Kuala Lumpur, makes it a point to savour the savoury snack each time she returns to her hometown. "It has a salty and creamy taste and it is also crunchy, like peanuts," she said, adding that she usually buys it at the weekly market. "The minute I see someone selling the snack, I'll grab the chance to buy it because buah kepayang is a jungle fruit and it's difficult to find," she said. Although Maznah has been eating buah kepayang since her childhood days, she herself has not ventured into making the snack as she does not know how to remove the poison from the seeds. "Only the older generations are well versed in the various methods (of getting rid of the poison)," she added. BABA & NYONYA SPECIALITY Buah kepayang can also be added to gravies and stews and it is widely used by the Peranakan community. One of its more popular dishes is ayam masak buah keluak (chicken cooked with buah kepayang) and it is available at the Ramadan buffet offered at Vasco's at the Hilton Kuala Lumpur. The restaurant's buffet spread this year is themed Baba and Nyonya heritage. Its chef Mohd Faizal Abd Ghani said he attended Baba and Nyonya cooking classes in Melaka to learn how to cook their traditional dishes, including ayam masak buah keluak. Mohd Faizal said preparing the buah kepayang seeds for cooking was a tedious task as they had to be soaked in water for a week and then boiled or roasted to remove any remaining traces of cyanide, as well as its bitter taste. Other typical Peranakan dishes currently available at Vasco's include ayam masak pongteh, udang masak lemak nanas, pari asam gerang, telur dadar cencaluk and laksa kari nyonya. Also available at the buffet are a variety of mouth-watering Peranakan kuih and desserts, like onde onde, kuih talam, seri muka, kuih angku and pulut tai-tai. Vasco's Ramadan buffet is priced at RM180 (US$42) nett per person. -- BERNAMA