Frites de ʻUru (Tahitian Breadfruit Fries)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy 5-quart Dutch oven or deep cast-iron pot
• •Deep-fry thermometer
• •Spider strainer or wide slotted spoon
• •Rimmed sheet pan with rack or brown paper for draining
• •Sturdy knife lightly oiled for sticky ʻuru sap

Instructions

1. 1

   Choose the ʻuru

   Pick a mature firm ʻuru, heavy for its size, green to yellow-green, with the skin bumps full and tight. A bead of white sap at the stem is fine. If it smells perfume-sweet and gives under your thumb, that one is ripe already; no force it into fries. Use it for a sweet mash or poʻe ʻuru instead.

   Mature breadfruit is starchy and right for frying. Soft ripe breadfruit is sweet and better for dessert. Eat what you have, but cook it for what it is.
2. 2

   Quarter and simmer

   Rub a little oil on the knife blade if the sap is sticky. Trim the stem end, cut the ʻuru lengthwise into quarters, and cut away the spongy core. Put the quarters in a pot, cover with water, add the tablespoon of sea salt, and simmer 12 to 18 minutes, until a knife tip enters the flesh with only a little resistance. It should be tender, not falling apart.

3. 3

   Peel and dry

   Drain the ʻuru and let it cool just enough to handle. Peel away the skin, then cut the flesh into thick wedges, about 1/2 to 3/4 inch wide. Spread the wedges on a towel or rack for at least 10 minutes so the surface dries. That dry surface is what fries crisp.

4. 4

   Heat the oil

   Pour the oil 2 inches deep into a heavy pot and heat to 350F. Do not fill the pot more than halfway. Breadfruit carries water from the parboil, so pat the wedges dry again before they go in. Water and hot oil no play.

   No thermometer? Drop in a small scrap of ʻuru. It should bubble steadily right away and turn golden in about 45 seconds. If it browns in 10 seconds, the oil is too hot.
5. 5

   Fry in batches

   Lower the wedges into the oil in small batches, away from your body, and fry 3 to 5 minutes, turning once or twice, until the edges are crisp and the color runs deep gold. Don't crowd the pot or the oil drops and the ʻuru drinks it. Listen for the bubbling to calm from loud to steady; that's when the surface is set.

6. 6

   Salt and share

   Lift the fries with a spider or slotted spoon and drain on a rack or brown paper. Salt them while they're still hot so the salt clings. Break one open: the outside should crack lightly under your teeth, the inside creamy and starchy, with that quiet breadfruit sweetness underneath. Serve with lime if you like, beside ʻia ota, grilled fish, rice, or whatever is feeding the table.

Chef Tips

• •Ask for mature firm ʻuru, not soft ripe fruit. The skin should feel tight, the fruit should feel heavy, and the flesh should cut pale and starchy. If it's woolly or sweet-smelling, change the plan and make dessert.
• •Leftover boiled or roasted breadfruit makes excellent frites the next day. Cut it cold, dry it well, and fry it straight from the fridge so the edges stay clean.
• •Salt while the fries are hot. Wait too long and the salt bounces off, same as potato fries.
• •If the kids want ketchup or mayo, let them. The old crop doesn't get smaller because the table is modern. Keeper, not gatekeeper.
• •No breadfruit where you live? Eat what you have, but name it right. Potatoes make fries; ʻuru makes frites de ʻuru.

Advance Preparation

• •Parboil, peel, and cut the ʻuru up to 24 hours ahead. Chill the wedges uncovered for 30 minutes to dry the surface, then cover loosely until frying.
• •Keep par-cooked wedges refrigerated, not soaking in water. Pat them dry again before they meet the oil.
• •Fried wedges are best right away, but leftovers can be re-crisped in a 400F oven or air fryer for 8 to 10 minutes, then salted lightly again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 200g)