How to clean and prepare pitaya - dragon fruit? (Kako ocistiti i pripremiti pitaju - zmajevo voce?)

Pitaya, also called pitahaya or dragon fruit.

Contents:

1. How to clean and prepare pitaya?
2. Storage and shelf life of the pitaya
3. Storage and shelf life of cut pitaya
4. How to choose pitaya - dragon fruit in the store?
5. Use of fresh cut pitaya
6. Use of frozen pitaya

 How to clean and prepare pitaya? 

1. Wash pitaya - dragon fruit under running cold water.
2. Cut it in half lengthwise.
3. Remove the meat from the skin with a slotted spoon or peel off the skin with your hands.
4. Cut the meat into cubes or slices, depending on the recipe in which you are using it.
5. The tiny black seeds are edible and are not removed.
6. The skin is not eaten.

 Storage and shelf life of the whole pitaya  - dragon fruit 

Whole, unripe pitahaya:

• At room temperature: 2–5 days, until ripe.
• When ripe: it is best to put it in the refrigerator.

Whole, ripe pitahaya:

• In the refrigerator: 3–5 days.
• If it is very ripe, it is best to use it within 1-2 days.

Storage and shelf life of cut pitaya - dragon fruit 

• Place the sliced ​​pitaya in a hermetically sealed container and store in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
• It is best to eat it as soon as possible, because after cutting it gradually loses its freshness and becomes watery.

 How to choose pitaya - dragon fruit in the store? 

Choose a pitaya that has:

• Bright, uniform skin color, characteristic of the variety.
• A skin that is not as hard as rock, but not too soft either.
• Light pressure under the fingers, similar to a ripe kiwi or avocado.
• A little dry leaf tip is normal.
• Greenish or slightly dried leaves may be normal, depending on the variety.

Avoid a pitaya that has:

• Large dark spots or mold marks.
• Cracked skin.
• A very soft or gooey texture.
• The smell of fermented fruit.
• Lots of dents and watery parts.

 Use of fresh cut pitaya: 

• It is eaten on its own, chilled.
• It is added to fruit salads.
• It is added to buttermilk or Greek yogurt.
• It is used for smoothie drinks.
• It is added to puddings and porridges.
• It is used to prepare sorbet.
• It is added to desserts in a glass.
• It is used to decorate cakes and other desserts such as cheesecake, panna cotta, mousse, tiramisu, puddings, ice cream, fruit sorbet, tarts, crepes, American pancakes, waffles, pudding, chia seed pudding, fruit bowls, desserts with Greek yogurt and coconut desserts in cups.
• It can be blended into a puree for sauces and toppings.

 Uses of frozen pitaya: 

1. Smoothie drink — used directly frozen.
2. Sorbet — used directly frozen, then blended.
3. Smoothie bowl — used directly frozen, then blended with other ingredients.
4. Fruit puree — thaw, then blend.
5. Pudding and cold treats — thaw, then use.
6. Fruit sauce and dressing — thawed, then blended or thermally processed.

After defrosting, pitaya becomes softer and more watery, so frozen pitaya is better for blending than for decoration.

How to freeze pitaya - dragon fruit?

1. Clean and prepare pitaya.
2. Cut the meat into cubes.
3. Arrange the cubes in one layer on a tray lined with baking paper.
4. Place in the freezer for 2-3 hours, until completely frozen.
5. Transfer the frozen cubes to a freezer bag or container.
6. Mark the freeze date.

Shelf life in the freezer:

• Best quality: 3 to 6 months.

Pitaja koja se zove i pitahaja ili zmajevo voce.

Sadrzaj:

1. Kako ocistiti i pripremiti pitaju?
2. Cuvanje i rok trajanja cele pitaje
3. Cuvanje i rok trajanja isecene pitaje
4. Kako odabrati pitaju - zmajevo voce u prodavnici?
5. Upotreba sveze isecene pitaje
6. Upotreba smrznute pitaje

 Kako ocistiti i pripremiti pitaju? 

1. Pitaju operite pod mlazom hladne vode.
2. Presecite je po duzini na pola.
3. Kasikom izvadite meso iz kore ili rukama oljustite koru.
4. Meso isecite na kockice ili kriske, zavisno od recepta u kome je koristite.
5. Sitne crne semenke su jestive i ne uklanjaju se.
6. Kora pitaje se ne jede.

 Cuvanje i rok trajanja cele pitaje 

Cela, nezrela pitahaja:

• Na sobnoj temperaturi: 2–5 dana, dok ne sazri.
• Kada sazri: najbolje je staviti je u frizider.

Cela, zrela pitahaja:

• U frizideru: 3–5 dana.
• Ako je vrlo zrela, najbolje je upotrebiti je u roku od 1–2 dana.

 Cuvanje i rok trajanja isecene pitaje 

• Isecenu pitaju stavite u hermeticki zatvorenu posudu i cuvajte u frizideru, 2–3 dana.
• Najbolje je da je pojedete sto pre, jer nakon secenja postepeno gubi svezinu i postaje vodenasta.

 Kako odabrati pitaju - zmajevo voce u prodavnici? 

Birajte pitaju koja ima:

• Jarku, ujednacenu boju kore, karakteristicnu za sortu.
• Koricu koja nije tvrda kao kamen, ali nije ni premekana.
• Blag pritisak pod prstima, slicno kao kod zrelog kivija ili avokada.
• Malo suvih vrhova listica je normalno.

• Zelenkasti ili blago osušeni listici mogu biti normalni, zavisno od sorte.

Izbegavajte pitaju koja ima:

• Velike tamne fleke ili znake budji.
• Napuklu koru.
• Veoma mekanu ili gnjecavu teksturu.
• Miris fermentisanog voca.
• Mnogo udubljenja i vodenastih delova.

 Upotreba sveze isecene pitaje: 

1. Jede se samostalno, rashladjena.
2. Dodaje se u vocne salate.
3. Dodaje se u jogurt ili grcki jogurt.
4. Koristi se za smuti napitke.
5. Dodaje se u pudinge i kase.
6. Koristi se za pripremu sorbeta.
7. Dodaje se u dezerte u casi.
8. Koristi se za dekoraciju kolaca i drugih dezerta kao sto su kolac od sira - cizkejk, pana kota, mus, tiramisu, puslice, sladoled, vocni sorbe, tartovi, palacinke, americke palacinke, vafli, puding, puding od cia semenki, vocne kase, poslastice sa grckim jogurtom i kokosove poslastice u casama.
9. Moze se blendirati u pire za sosove i prelive.

 Upotreba smrznute pitaje: 

1. Smuti napitak — koristi se direktno smrznuta.
2. Sorbet — koristi se direktno smrznuta, pa se blenda.
3. Smuti cinija — koristi se direktno smrznuta, pa se blenda sa ostalim sastojcima.
4. Vocni pire — odmrzne se, pa se blenda.
5. Puding i hladne poslastice — odmrzne se, pa se koristi.
6. Vocni sos i preliv — odmrzne se, pa se blenda ili termicki obradi.

Nakon odmrzavanja pitaja postaje mekša i vodenastija, pa je smrznuta pitaja bolja za blendanje nego za dekoraciju.

Kako zamrznuti pitaju - zmajevo voce?

1. Pitaju ocistiti i pripremiti.
2. Isecite meso na kockice.
3. Kockice rasporedite u jednom sloju na tacnu oblozenu papirom za pecenje.
4. Stavite u zamrzivac na 2–3 sata, dok se potpuno ne zamrznu.
5. Zamrznute kockice prebacite u kesu ili posudu za zamrzavanje.
6. Oznacite datum zamrzavanja.

Rok trajanja u zamrzivacu:

• Najbolji kvalitet: 3 do 6 meseci.