This week we are making chocolate ulu (breadfruit) pie:
Ingredients:
For crust:
1 cup of dates
1 cup of shredded coconut
1 cup of almonds
For Pie:
1 large breadfruit (or two small breadfruit)
2 bananas
1/2 cup of cocoa or cacao
Directions: For crust, place all contents in a food processor and use “pulse” function until it makes a powder (but you can squeeze it together in your hands). The place the powder in the pie pan and pat down with your fingers.
I saw on a cooking show once that breadfruit takes the flavor of what you combine it with, so in this case, it has taken the flavor of chocolate and bananas, both delicious! I like to use a breadfruit that is very ripe (fell of the tree, slightly browning with white sap pouring down it) for the breadfruit pie. Dietary fiber helps reduce blood cholesterol by preventing its absorption in the gut, reduce obesity, blood pressure and help protect the colon mucous membrane by warding off cancer-causing chemicals from the colon.
For the pie, microwave the breadfruit for 2 minutes, or you can steam it; so you can easily peel the skin off (and also get rid of the latex raw taste of the breadfruit). Take out the core of the breadfruit (attached to the stem), as well as the skin. Combine all contents in a mixer (such as the kitchenaid mixer). You can mix contents manually, but it will take a lot longer. The pour pie onto the crust and play in the freezer overnight. The pie is ready the next morning. Enjoy!
Benefits of Breadfruit:
Breadfruit is high in fiber. Fiber reduces cholesterol by preventing its absorption in the gut, and also reduces obesity and blood pressure. I find a lot of my patients have low potassium, and breadfruit is an excellent source of potassium! Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps regulate heart rate and blood pressure. Breadfruit has small amounts of flavonoid anti-oxidants in the form of xanthin and luein and is rich in Vitamin C (another anti-oxidant). Fruits rich in the vitamin C help the body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenges harmful free radicals. In addition, breadfruit has many B-complex groups of vitamins, such as thiamine, pyridoxine, and niacin. Breadfruit pulp also has copper, iron, magnesium, and phosphorus.
