I tried for the first time tonight to cook the fruit of my prickly pear cactus. They were red when I collected them and I used my blowtorch to burn off the spines. I checked q and a and boiled them for 30 minutes in really salty water and then rinsed. They were full of seeds and REALLY slimy. I added some cilantro to them, seeded them, rinsed them and boiled a little while longer. Still slimy. I added a little vinegar and soaked them an hour. Then rinsed.
2006-08-26 16:04:02 · 2 answers · asked by hipichick777 4 in Food & Drink ➔ Ethnic Cuisine
The Edible Prickly Pear Cactus: The pads or Nopales (Spanish term for the Prickly Pear pads) are often used in salads, soups, or cooked on the grill. They have an Okra-like 'slime' after cooking that some people find unpleasant and should be rinsed off before serving.
http://austin.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=austin&zu=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.desertusa.com%2Fmagdec97%2Feating%2Fnopales.html
2006-08-26 17:11:57 · answer #1 · answered by sllyjo 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
There's a reason why you don't eat cactus unless you really have to... any type of food that needs a blowtorch isn't really meant for human consumption.
Good luck.
2006-08-26 16:41:23 · answer #2 · answered by kako 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋