It's the season of Strawberry Guavas! My brother's girlfriend gave us a ginormous box of Strawberry guavas aka Psidium cattleianum or Goyave de Chine after she went guava picking the other day. What to do with them, I wondered... They looked utterly fresh, juicy, & ripe enough to be eaten. Just by glancing at those small brightly coloured exotic fruits is enough to make my mouth water. 
After popping a few my mouth, I thought I could either make 'Gelée de goyave' (guava jam), eat them on their own, or make a succulent salad. All three sounded tempting. In the end, I opted for a salad because I love eating freshly picked fruits & refused to 'waste' them into a puree loaded with sugar. Oh, & I couldn't bear the thought of them being cooked! These little beads of sweetness are seasonal so I wanted to enjoy them to the max. Besides, the jam is commercially sold. Yes, a salad would be perfect & refreshing on this hot, sunny day.
I cut the guavas into quarters, only to find a flawless creamy white flesh with tiny seeds in each guava, waiting to be mixed with: a dash of vinegar, a few spoonfuls of sugar & salt, & last but not least, fresh green chillies to spice up the salad.
Oh dear, how I loved the tangy sweet & slightly sour flavour of the fruits. I was warned not to abuse of the green chillies because my loved ones know my face would turn the same colour as the guavas, but I find it hard to omit the chillies, I like my salad best when it's 'hot'!!
17 spices tossed:
Hummm... a beautiful salad freshness !
gosh.. it looks so nice.. I'm dribbling already just by looking at it!!! =D... sad that there's no way I can make something like this in the UK...I never saw any strawberry guavas....oooo...
Zoe =)
Bonjour Sylvie,
indeed, it's full of freshness, thanks:)
Hi Zoe,
thanks:) strawberry guavas originate from Brazil & I think it's the Chinese immigrants who brought them to Mauritius! I hope one day you can get hold of them, they're worth it:)
Your salad looks great! And I can understand you want it fresh,little should be done with such freshness :)
Valentina,
Guava is really big here. Guava paste (goiabada) is delicious and we prepare so many things with it.
I've never seen strawberry guavas, though. Living and learning!
The fruit salad looks so refreshing, delicious!
Hey Dee! Yup, I'm too sad to cook them! They're better appreciated when fresh:)
Hi Pat! We've got a few kinds of guavas as well but these are seasonal & I so love them!
I wish we could get Guavas here! This fruit salad looks so beautiful!
Hi Valentina, I'm drolling already:) My husband told me we can do guava picking one day, and I just cannot wait. Thanks for the info about the crabs. I've been living here for 2 years but havent really tried cooking the Mauritian way. Btw do you know where I can get fresh pandan leaves in Mauritius?
Hey Freya! Thanks for the compliment;)
Hi Vici! thanks for reading my blog, it's rare for ppl in Mauritius to land on it & read it;)
Unfortunately, pandan leaves are not sold in Mauritius & I don't know where the pandan paste is sold either:( I've brought my own pandan paste when I travelled & I think I've got an extra bottle which I could give to you. Which area of Mauritius to you live?
I love guava... it really good and I discovered it when I was living in S'pore.
Ciao.
Hi Orchidea!
I hope you can eat guavas soon, & hopefully, you'll receive them in your country one day:)
what did i miss ..ah, more colorful whips from u hehe, good one there, love guava, we usually dip those lil' bites with sour plum powder..agh..your bowl is so tempting and refreshing, thx for sharing :)
Hi Corina!
never tasted sour plum powder debore, must be really exciting with the guavas! hehehe
I've never tried those strawberry guava ! They look delicious.
When I was in Venezuela, we used to eat PASTA DE GUAYABA, I loved it !
Bonjour Eva!
Wow, never heard of pasta de Guayaba, the name sounds similar to guava, that's interesting!
Love the colors of those. I did find regular "goyave" and liked it right off the bat. Wish I could put my hands on these little gems!
I think pasta de guayaba is a "pate de fruit".
Which is your prefered language, French or English?
Hi Helene:)
It's the season of picking guavas so I'm trying to make the most of it:)
Yes, we sell 'pate de fruit' here too! But I think it's a tad too sweet:P
My mother tongue is French and Creole, but I prefer writing in English!:)
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