| Origin | Native to Western Malaysia. |
| Description | Pulasan is closely related to the rambutan, the name is derived from the Malay word ‘pulas’, which means twist in reference to how the fruit is opened. |
| Growth Habitat | The pulasan is ultra-tropical and thrives only in very humid regions between 110m and 350m above sea level. |
| Foliage | The alternate leaves, pinnate or odd-pinnate, 17-45 cm long, slightly wavy, dark-green and barely glossy on the upper surface, pale with a few short, silky hairs on the underside. |
| Flowers | Very small, greenish, petal-less flowers with 4-5 hairy sepals, are borne singly or in clusters on the branches of the erect, axillary or terminal, panicles covered with fine yellowish hairs. |
| Fruits | The fruit is a dark red to a light red or yellow colour. The rind is covered with short, stubby spines. The white to yellow, translucent flesh clings lightly onto a seedcoat and tastes sweeter than a rambutan. The seed is oblong, flat on one side and is edible raw with a flavour similar to almonds. |
| Harvest | The main fruiting season is from July to November and secondary fruiting season is from March to July. The fruit bunch is harvested when a majority of the fruits has turned red or yellow from a green colour. |
| Soil | Grows well in lowland primary forests, often on river banks but rarely in swamps, and usually on sand or clay soils. A pH between 5.0 and 6.5 is ideal. |
| Pruning | Prune young trees to establish a strong, permanent structure for easy harvest. After that, removing crossing or damaged branches is all this is necessary. Trees can be pruned more heavily to control size. |
| Fertilization | For the first 1 to 3 years a compound fertilizer consisting of nitrogen, phosphate, potash and magnesium is given in the proportion of 15:15:6:4. From the 4th year onwards the proportion is 12:12:17:2+TE. |
| Propagation | Propagate by seeds, budding, grafting or air layering. |
| Nutritional Properties | Per 100g of flesh: moisture: 84.54 – 90.87 %; protein: 0.82 g; carbohydrates: 12.86 g; fiber: 0.14 g; fat: 0.55 g; ash: 0.43 – 0.45 g; calcium: 0.01 – 0.05 mg; iron: 0.002mg. |
| Health Benefits | Weight loss It reduces the body fat. So it is good for people who are obese and for those people who are trying to lose weight and to maintain a healthy body. Beauty It makes skin softer and has good use in hair care. The seeds are dried and these seed kernels yield 74.9% of a solid, white fat, which melts at about 104 -107.6º F (40º- 42º C). The dried seed kernels yield mildly perfumed oil. Diabetes Diabetics can eat this fruit to aid them in their illness. Diabetes is a group of metabolic diseases in which a person has high blood sugar, either because the body does not produce enough insulin, or because cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced. Immune booster The vitamin C content gives a great boost to the immune system. It is needed for healing wounds, and for repairing and maintaining bones and teeth. Traditionally, the leaves and roots of the Pulasan tree are employed in poultices. The root decoction is applied as a febrifuge and vermifuge. The roots are boiled with Gleichenia linearis, and the decoction is used for bathing fever patients. |
| Commercial Uses | Pulasan is usually eaten fresh, but can also be frozen or dried, used for flavouring in ice cream, puddings, can be made into preserves, jam jellies and sauces The seeds, which contain edible oils, are sometimes roasted and boiled to make a cocoa-like beverage. The oil from the seeds are used in lamps and soaps. The hard timber is useful but rarely used and the roots have medicinal properties. |
| Food Suggestion | Potato and Pulasan Cutlet Ingredients : - 250g potatoes, boiled and peeled - 100g minced beef - 3 young kaffir lime leaves, finely sliced - 1 tablespoon chopped coriander - 1 medium-sized onion, peeled and choppedp - 1 tablespoon fried shallot crisps - 1 pinch white pepper - 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste - 6 pulasans, peeled and seeded - 2 tablespoons flour - 300ml oil, for deep frying - 1 egg, beaten Method : 1.In a mixing bowl, mash the potato and mix it with the minced meat. Add the rest of the ingredients except pulasans and egg. Mix well. 2.Shape the mixture into a cutlet around the pulasan, so that the pulasan forms the middle. Coat the cutlet lightly with flour. 3.Heat oil in a wok. Dip the cutlet into the beaten egg and deep fry until golden brown. Serve hot. Note As an alternative, you can chop the pulasans and mix them in with the mashed potato mixture. If you do this, double the amount of pulasans. |
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