Fresh pomegranates are hard work. The little fleshy pink and magenta seeds look like cluster of gems embed in a off-white membrane of the fruit. The fruit in that picture was not tree ripened so it took a while to get the little slippery seeds out and really it was a lot of work that yield very little of the sweet seeds. It too me and my sister half an hour of tapping and digging to get all the seed out of one fruit, but it was a nice little sweet treat. It isn’t very sweet, kind of like a cross between an under-ripe pear and a greengage, the pink flesh around the seed remind me of little bits of firm plum in texture but the crunch of seeds under the flesh was quite satisfying to me. Maybe if I got a riper pomegranate than I would have it again but I didn’t enjoy the process of preparing the fruit and I’m not sure if the work was worth it.

Young ginger from Union Square Greenmarket was a surprise for my sister. I know what it was just from the smell but I’ve never really seen them or had them, too expansive according to my grandmother. I brought mines with the stem and leaves which can be made into a tea if the plant was younger but mines was pass that point but my grandmother insist that it could be boiled and the infusion would used for bathing away arthritis and other bone or joint ailments. However, the root is good eating and that is all I care about when I bought it. After a quick rinse the thin delicate pale cream skin and pink hues showing just how young and tender it was. The fibers were tender enough to give a juicy crunch, like a fresh apple, under the knife. The root is sweet and less spicy then the older roots, sliced thin was a tasty fresh treat.

My grandmother is convinced that yellow eels over rice is good for the health and honestly when the ceramic lid was taken off the fire blacken clay pot I didn’t need much convincing to dig in. The fluffy long grain rice was cooked just right to still be firm enough to be chewy and smelled strongly of the spices that seasoned the eel meat. The deboned meat with the rich oily skin was seasoned heavily in cloves, dried citrus peel, and star anise to take most of the muddy pond scum flavor out but still leave just enough fishiness that there is no illusion that the meat was from some bottom feeder from some murky pond. The crisp fresh green onions on top gives some contrast to the pungent spices and give some green for the eyes, but the real gem of the dish is found at the bottom of the pot. The crunchy crusted rice at the bottom of the pot takes the dish one step farther, the soft crunch of little grans of charred rice gives a texture contrast like no other with the soft chewy rice on top and soft oily chunks of eel. This is a texture sensation that is a must try, the cute little clay pot is just a bonus.