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Have you seen the red spiked rambutan fruit in your neighborhood Oriental supermarket? Would you know it if you saw it? Look for a little red ball covered in fleshy red spikes -- sort of looks like a sputnik!

Once the outer rind is pulled back to reveal the inside of a rambutan, it really DOES look like the Alien's egg sac. That a problem?
 
Well, I admit, it is something I need to get past. But I should not be that way, so to help ME overcome my prejudice and to tempt myself into a rationale for 'trying new foods', here are some reasons why we might all consider adding rambutan fruits to our diets: variety, good energy source and nutrient potassium availability.
 
The rambutan, nephelium lappaceum, is a close relative of the lychee, distinguishable from the lychee by its soft, red hairy rind. Sometimes it is called the hairy lychee as it derives its name from the Malaysian word for hair, "rambut." Rambutan fruit grows in clusters on large trees native to tropical Malaysia. Its flesh tends to be white, contains one seed, and is juicy and sweet like the lychee, but less acidic in flavor.
 
It comes to fruition in June through October and is considered ripe when its rind shows no signs of bruising or spots and its red color is fully developed. Its hairy spines should be firm, not brittle.
 
To store rambutan for up to two weeks, wrap them in a paper towel and place them in a perforated plastic bag before being refrigerated. Alternately, they may be kept at room temperature for two or three days.
 
These are its nutrients, the reported value per 100 grams (or <1/4 #):
 
Energy kj 343
Protein g 0.65
Total lipid (fat) g 0.21
Ash g 0.23
Carbohydrate, by difference g 20.87
Fiber, total dietary g 0.9
Calcium, Ca mg 22
Iron, Fe mg 0.35
Magnesium, Mg mg 7
Phosphorus, P mg 9
Potassium, K mg 42
Sodium, Na mg 11
Zinc, Zn mg 0.08
Copper, Cu mg 0.066
Manganese, Mn mg 0.343
Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid mg 4.9
Thiamin mg 0.013
Riboflavin mg 0.022
Niacin mg 1.352
Vitamin B-6 mg 0.020
Folate, total mcg 8
Vitamin A IU 3
 
Rambutan can be found fresh, seasonally, but it can also be purchased in a can. Most of the recipes combine rambutan with lychee and used as Westerners might use pineapple. You can use it as a sauce or glaze with main course meals as in this recipe from http://importfood.com:
 
Fruit Glaze
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup pineapple syrup (from canned pineapple)
6 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup rambutan, meat only
1/2 cup lychees, chopped finely
3 tablespoons mango-pineapple preserve
1 cup brown sugar
 
However, I prefer to consider eating it 'as is'. Just peel and eat. Just figure out for yourself how you might enjoy incorporating it into your diet. Don't forget, anything 'red' has "good for us" stuff in it; which means we should probably eat it with a good Merlot!
 
Let the feasting begin!