Jicama.

Man kaeo looks like a squat, round turnip with thin, light brown skin. Peel it and the flesh underneath is pure white, crunchy and full of water, a bit like a cross between a pear and a fresh water chestnut. The taste is mild and faintly sweet. On a hot afternoon, a plate of cold man kaeo sticks with chilli salt is hard to beat.

Ways to use it

• Cut into sticks, chill and dip in phrik kluea, the mix of chilli, salt and sugar.
• Shred it into a som tam style salad with lime, chilli and fish sauce.
• Stir fry thin strips with carrot and cabbage as a filling for fried spring rolls.
• Dice it into a stir fry at the last minute. It stays crunchy even when hot.
• Add matchsticks to a fruit salad or a plate of fresh vegetables.

Peel it with a knife rather than a peeler, since the skin is papery on top and slightly fibrous underneath. Only the white flesh is eaten.

Storing it

Keep a whole root in a cool, dry place out of direct sun and use it within a few days. Once it's cut, wrap the rest or put it in a covered box in the fridge, so the cut face doesn't dry out. Wash the root under running water before peeling, so soil on the skin doesn't reach the flesh.

Where it comes from

Grown to certified organic standards. The certificate for each lot is shown when you trace your pack.

Every pack will carry a lot code. Enter it on the Trace your pack page and you will see the farms in that lot, the harvest date and the certificate.