Kiwi is a delicious, tart, sweet and juicy delicate fleshy fruit also known to be as the national fruit of New Zealand. Since early 1900s Kiwi found its way into various countries and are now cultivated in several parts of the world all year round also known as Chinese gooseberries, wonder fruit and wood berry as well. It is an egg shaped fruit with a velvety textured skin with small crunchy black seeds within and it is much preferred by most of us as a welcome choice into our kitchens. The green color of the fruit adds a lot of freshness to the dishes being added to and it has a multi-purpose approach in food and beverage industry as well where we have seen kiwi being used in mocktails and mixed drinks as well.
The vibrant personality of kiwi with a multi-faceted functionality makes it fall into place in salads, in dips, welcome drinks, end of meal digestive shots, into baked desserts, set and chilled cheesecakes, toppings for waffles, pancakes, crepes and even morning breakfast cereal bowls. Kiwi is also much preferred in health shakes, energy drinks and smoothies as well since it is easy to blend with variety of fruits and offer its mild flavour and goodness at its best.
Health Benefits of Kiwi
- Kiwi fruit is high in fiber and Vitamin – C content which is beneficial for our body and can be used in our salads.
- Kiwi also helps cut calories and is ideal to include when on a weight loss program or diet, it is low in glycemic index.
- Kiwi fruit helps to improve digestion and also strengthens our immunity system as well, high in potassium content.
- Kiwi is good for the heart and is a welcome on our plates in various forms and textures.
- Kiwi helps lower the blood pressure and also helps to clear out toxins from our body, a great de-toxifier!
- Kiwi is a healthy choice of fruit since it is also rich in essential vitamins and minerals and also anti-oxidants and it is also anti-aging.
- Kiwi fruit helps us fight inflammation as well and is known to be good for skin health as well.
Culinary uses of the KIWI FRUIT
- Kiwi is a good choice to add to a fresh start to the day by adding it into a fruit bowl.
- A popular choice for a fresh fruit cocktail in its virgin form combine it with colorful fruits and give it a nice press and shake with a punch of lime and freshness and mint.
- Baked goodies like cakes, pastries, fresh fruit gateaux also use it for decoration and its fresh look adds a new dimension to the entire finished product.
- Kiwi fruit can be easily blended with fresh coconut water and a little fresh mint can be a good choice during summers to stay hydrated with balance.
- Kiwi crush is also prepared in our food and fruit processing industry and also various types of jams and jellies are manufactured as well to assist us in our patisserie section too.
- Kiwi sherbets and sorbets are also part of our beverage menus when it comes to fine dining, lounge, bistros etc to make colorful concoctions with kiwi with mixers/ fresh juices/ top ups and more.
- Kiwi salsa to go with nachos is a good change as well, having a nice fruity salsa with a touch of kiwi, olives, jalapenos, parsley, mint, olive oil, a little chili flakes and a splash of fresh lime is just right to indulge into.
- Chilled and frozen desserts, puddings, mousse, soufflé, layered concepts, cake and crumb based sweet dishes also go well with kiwi being a part of them. Kiwi has also turned out to be interesting with indian sweets like with phirni, kiwi Sandesh, shahi tukda with kiwi and nuts, chilled seviyan payassam with kiwi, malpuas topped with kiwi rabdi and a crunch with dry fruit praline and cherries is just awesome.
A few recipes with KIWI
KIWI POWER PUNCH
Ingredients
Kiwi fruit- 2 no. peeled and cut into cubes
Banana-1 ripe, peeled and sliced.
Avocado- ½ no ripe, peeled and sliced.
Mint leaves- 8-10 no
Dates- 2-3 chopped
Soy milk/oats milk- 2 cups
Honey- 1 tsp
Chia seeds-2 tsp soaked in water for 30 mins.
Assorted nuts- walnuts/cashews/almonds-2 tsp sliced.
Method
- Prepare all the ingredients for the power shake.
- Using a blender jar combine together the ingredients for the shake and give it a nice blend and churn.
- Using chilled serving glasses add in the soaked chia seeds at the base of the glasses and top up with the prepared shake, garnish with fresh mint/ assorted nuts and serve.
REFRESHER WITH KIWI
Ingredients
Kiwi fruit- 2 no, peeled and cut into cubes.
Lime juice 2 tsp
Honey- 2 tsp
Mint leaves- 8-10 no
Ginger juice- 2 tsp
Flax seed powder- 1 tsp
Coconut water- 1 cup
Chilled water- ½ cup
Tender coconut malai- 2 tbsp.
Assorted nuts-2 tbsp. chopped
Method
- Prepare all the ingredients for the refresher drink with kiwi.
- In a blender jar combine together the kiwi, honey, lime juice, ginger juice, tender coconut and little regular water and give it a nice churn.
- Remove into a mixing bowl add in the coconut water and mint leaves and give it a nice mix also check for taste/sweetness etc and balance it.
- Pour the refreshing beverage into chilled shot glasses and serve immediately, add crushed ice if desired.
ON A SWEET NOTE WITH KIWI
Ingredients
Kiwi fruit- 3 nos. peeled and cut into cubes
For creating the layers in the dessert:
Crushed digestive biscuits/oat meal cookies- 5-6 no.
Coconut cream- 1 cup or use rabdi – 1 cup
Honey- 2 tsp
Whipped cream-1/4 cup
Mint leaves- 10-12 no
Chopped dates- 4-5 no
Sliced Gulab jamuns- 4-5 no
Assorted chopped nuts- 2- 3 tbsp.
Fresh pomegranate seeds- ½ cup
Method
- Use small dessert bowls or glasses to set this dessert.
- Whip up the sweet cream and keep aside.
- Beat the thick coconut cream as well and add a little honey to it.
- Start the layering with the crushed biscuits/cookies and sliced jamuns topped with coconut cream, kiwi cubes, pomegranate seeds, dates and nuts and sweet cream. Repeat the layers.
- Decorate the dessert glasses attractively and set them to chill for 1-2 hours and then serve it.
TOSS – N – TWIST KIWI VEGGIE SALAD
Ingredients
For the base of the salad
Assorted lettuce leaves- 1 cup
For the body of the salad
Kiwi fruit- 2 no, peeled and cubed
Sprouts-1 cup
Cucumber-1/2 no sliced
Pomegranate seeds-1/2 cup
Mango/ papaya- ½ cup cubes
For the dressing of the salad
Lime juice-2 tbsp.
Salt and pepper to taste
Mint leaves- 8-10 no
Honey- 2 tsp
Sunflower seeds/ melon seeds- 2 tsp
Chat masala- ½ tsp
Chopped dates- 2-3 no or use chopped/mashed dates.
For the garnish of the salad
Use micro-greens/ assorted toasted nuts- almonds/ pista- 2 tsp for garnish.
Method
- Assemble all the parts of the salad and keep ready.
- Just before serving assemble the ingredients for the dressing into a mixing bowl and give it a nice mix.
- Arrange the crispy lettuce leaves onto a serving salad plate.
- Set up the elements of the body of the salad onto the base of the salad plate, drizzle the dressing just before serving, garnish appropriately and serve.
KIWI BOWL WITH STEAMED HERBED CHICKEN
Ingredients
Chicken breasts-150 gms cut into cubes/shreds
For the marination on the chicken
Olive oil- 2 tsp
Mixed herbs- ½ tsp
Salt and pepper to taste
Honey- 1 tsp
Apply on the chicken pieces, keep aside for 20 mins, steam for 10-12 mins and keep aside.
For the noodles
Boiled rice noodles- 1 cup
Oil- 2 tsp
Garlic cloves- 2-3 sliced
Carrots/capsicums- ½ shredded
Salt and pepper to taste
Soy sauce- 1 tsp
Peanut butter- 2 tsp dissolved with ¼ cup warm water.
Chili sauce – 1 tsp
Spring onion greens-2 tbsp. chopped
Method
- heat oil, add in the garlic cloves and carrots, capsicums and stir well for 1-2 mins, add in the seasonings, sauces, peanut butter mixture, little stock and the boiled rice noodles and spring greens and allow to cook for 3-4 mins, turn off the flame and keep warm.
To assemble the bowl
Fried cashews- 8-10 no
Kiwi fruit- 2 no peeled and cut
Parsley/mint/coriander leaves- 2-3 tbsp.
White sesame seeds- 2 tsp toasted
Method
- Once all the elements of the dish are ready start with the assembling, using a deep salad plate or soup plate arrange a bed of the prepared noodles, top with the kiwi fruit, the steamed herbed chicken pieces and the other ingredients garnish it well and add in the fried nuts and toasted sesame seeds and greens.
- There are various options we can do with regards to adding ingredients into the bowl of goodness like saute prawns, roast meat, grilled fish, cooked chicken liver etc. For the veggies we can also add sliced mushrooms, broccoli, Babycorn, bell peppers into the noodles.
Celebrity Master Chef Dr Kaviraj Khialani is a Mumbai-based hotel-restaurant and food consultant. He is specialised in over 33 international cuisines and has quality experience with hotels and airlines as a part of his long journey of over two decades in his chosen field. Chef Kaviraj is a renowned author, academician, food designer, writer and has also been awarded several national awards and global recognitions for his talent & outstanding achievements. Besides having been featured on several food shows on ColorsTV and Star Plus he is a mentor, coach and guide to aspiring to be future chefs and hoteliers of tomorrow
