MANILA, Philippines — It’s definitely Santol season, and it is time to take advantage of the bountiful harvest that sometimes just fall off the tree.
Known by its English name Cotton Fruit and scientific name Sandoricum koetjape, it also goes by the names Sentul and Setun. It is a tropical fruit native to Southeast Asia.
These edible fruits with brown skin, brown rind, and white cottony flesh wrapped around medium-sized seeds are usually enjoyed raw.
You just pop a seed into your mouth, suck and bite off the flesh, and then expel the seed later. With a little of the rind to go with the seeds and the flesh, Santol fruits are also used as a souring agent for Sinigang (Filipino sour soup). Its rind, when grated, can likewise be cooked with gata (coconut milk) to make the Bicolano dish Sinantolan.
But there are many other ways to enjoy Santol, and several chefs are making suggestions and giving instructions on how they personally enjoy the fruit.
Chef Myke ‘Tatung’ Sarthou
Aside from making Sinantolan, celebrity chef Myke "Tatung" Sarthou loves making Rustic Santol Juice whenever it is Santol season. He calls it so because it includes Santol seeds and uses no blender. Here, the indefatigable chef behind such brands Tindeli, Hit ‘n Bun, Azadore and Lore, shares his recipe for it.
Rustic Santol Juice
Ingredients:
4-5 pcs. large ripe santol fruits
1/2-3/4 cup sugar (adjust to taste)
4 cups cold water
Ice cubes
Procedure:
1. Peel off skin. Using a knife, score the flesh in a crisscross pattern without removing the seeds. Cut each fruit into quarters.
2. Place scored santol quarters (with seeds) in a large bowl. Sprinkle sugar over the fruit. Gently mash and macerate using a spoon or fork to release the juices.
3. Let sit for 15 to 30 minutes at room temperature.
4. Add water. Pour in cold water and stir well to combine.
5. Chill overnight. Cover and refrigerate overnight to allow the flavor to deepen.
6. Strain the mixture to remove the seeds and solids. Serve over ice and enjoy chilled.
Chef Michael Santos
“I love santol,” said Chef Michael Santos of Vikings The Alley, who says that he makes Sinigang sa Santol, Santol and Pako Salad, Santol and Shrimp sa Gata, and Inihaw na Bangus Stuffed with Santol, Onion and Ginger with the fruit.
For the stuffed bangus, he slices tomatoes, santol and onion into small dices, then the ginger into bigger strips so it won’t be eaten. He combines these, tosses them in salt and pepper, and stuffs the belly of the deboned bangus with it. He then wraps the bangus in banana leaves, then a sheet of aluminum foil, and grills the stuffed bangus over charcoal until done.
Chef Nancy Reyes-Lumen
According to Chef Nancy Reyes-Lumen, who belongs to the Reyes clan of chefs, “the rind can be Sinantolan. Chop it finely, then cook in gata. Santol is eaten with caution because it can cause constipation.”
She also uses Santol as a souring agent for Sinigang and makes Santol Juice with it.
Chef Tristan Encarnacion
When there is a bountiful Santol season, Chef Tristan Encarnacion, who is the group food and beverage and research and development of Waterfront Hotels & Casinos, makes jam, atchara, ginataan, pie, candy and ice cream with it. For him, Santol is also a souring agent, particularly for sinigang.
Here’s a recipe of Santol Ice Cream from Chef Tristan:
Cotton Fruit Ice Cream
Ingredients:
370 ml. evaporated milk
80 grams white sugar
1 gram xanthan gum
Pulp from 12 pcs. santol (cotton fruit)
Procedure:
1. In a pot, combine evaporated milk, Santol (cotton fruit) pulp, and white sugar. Warm while stirring until sugar is dissolved.
2. Remove from heat and gentle mash the pulp to release its natural flavor. Steep for at least 30 minutes.
3. Strain mixture into a clean bowl.
4. Add xanthan gum and mix very well, better to use a wire whisk or an immersion/handheld blender.
5. Transfer ice cream mixture into an ice cream machine. If you are doing it manually, stir using a rubber spatula onto a frozen mixing bowl, stirring rapidly until the mixture freezes (you might need to put the bowl in the freezer prior to use to keep the bowl frozen), or you can use a Kitchen Aid stand mixer with a frozen mixing bowl and frozen whip attachment. Once mixture is set and aerated, transfer ice cream into a clean tub or container, place plastic wrap directly on top of the mixture then close with a lid. Keep ice cream in the freezer until use.
Yields 32 oz. of ice cream.
Chef Rafael ‘Tibong’ Jardeleza
Ilonggo chef Rafael ‘Tibong’ Jardeleza Jr. adds a different dimension to what you can do with Santol. Some of the many ways to enjoy santol is to make it into Ginataang Santol with Tulapo (pork fat chicharon), Sinigang na Hipon sa Santol, and Dinulce nga Santol.
For the Dinulce nga Santol, you simply peel the santol and slice by portion of the seed with the meat. Place in a deep dish pan and add sugar and enough water for boiling the santol as well as to reduce the liquid to a syrup. Slow-cook until sugar blends with the santol and produces a syrupy consistency but not over-thick.
Chef Myrna Segismundo
“There are a number of ways with which you can enjoy santol,” said Batangueña chef Myrna Segismundo.
These are:
- Burong Santol – can be found in the Lipa City Market and goes well with fried and grilled dishes or simply as a snack.
- Sinantolan – The native Santol flesh is cooked withy ground pork and coconut cream, with an optional addition of chilies.
- Candied Santol or Santol jam or preserve.
- Put Santol seeds and some minced santol flesh in a glass. Add water, ice and sugar syrup. Stir and enjoy!
Chef Dorothy Ferreria
In her younger years, Chef Dorothy Ferreria would make Candied Santol ala Bulacan Sweets. The Candied Santol was sticky, chewy with a beautiful blending of sweet and pleasant sourness.
“The process is long,” said Chef Dorothy, who runs her own Dorothy’s Cooking School. “You soak the membrane in apog and then boil it in a super saturated sugar solution. After that, you dry it under the sun.”
Chef Llena Tan
For Chef Llena, she makes different recipes, such as Brine, Beef Sinigang sa Santol, Ginataang Santol, and Santol Pie.
She shares this Beef Sinigang sa Santol recipe from Home Foodie and San Miguel Foods Culinary Center:
Beef Sinigang Sa Santol
Ingredients:
1 kg. Monterey Beef Short Ribs or Kaldereta Cut
1 1/2 liters water
2 pcs. white onion, peeled and quartered
5 pcs. tomatoes, sliced in half
2 pcs. santol, peeled and sliced in half
2 pcs. eggplants, sliced
100 grams pechay, washed and trimmed
2 cups string beans, cleaned and sliced
1/2 cup fish sauce
1 tsp. pepper
Procedure:
1. Combine beef, water, onion, tomatoes and santol in a casserole. Boil, covered, until beef is fork-tender.
2. Add all remaining ingredients. Let the vegetables cook until al dente.
3. Transfer to a serving bowl or individual soup bowls. Serve.
Makes 5 servings.