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Aroy Mak Mak

Star Fruit

มะเฟือง

Ma fueang: crisp, juicy, star-shaped slices that are lightly sweet and tart.

Star Fruit

Star fruit has five ridges that make perfect stars when sliced. It is crisp and juicy, with a mild sweet-tart flavour somewhere between apple, grape and citrus.

Pronunciationma-feuang
FlavourCrisp and juicy, mildly sweet and tart
SeasonYear-round, best from August to December
EatenFresh, with chilli-salt, juiced and preserved

How it is eaten

Sliced fresh, sometimes dipped in prik kluea (sugar, salt and chilli), squeezed into juice, and preserved in syrup. The star-shaped slices are also a common garnish on fruit plates.

Choosing and cutting

Choose firm, yellow fruit with just a little brown on the ridges; green fruit is sour. Trim the brown edges of the ridges with a peeler, then slice across.

A health note

Star fruit contains a toxin that healthy kidneys clear easily, but it can be dangerous for people with kidney disease. They should avoid it.

Sweet and sour types

Thai markets sell two broad kinds. Sweet eating types (ma fueang wan) are large, with thick, fleshy ridges, and turn golden when ripe. Sour types (ma fueang priao) are smaller and sharper, and are mostly used for preserving in syrup or with salt and sugar, or eaten green with prik kluea by those who like a pucker.

Outside Thailand

Star fruit, also called carambola, is one of the easier Thai fruits to find abroad, in supermarkets as well as Asian grocers. Imported fruit is often picked green, so leave it at room temperature until it turns fully yellow and smells fragrant, then refrigerate it and use it within a few days. Slices make a crisp addition to fruit salads, and a squeeze of the juice with a pinch of salt over ice is close to what Thai juice stalls serve.

Cook’s tip

Sweet star fruits are the fully yellow ones with slightly browned ridges. Leave green ones on the counter for a few days.

More Fruits

All Fruits