This custard apple dessert recipe is ideal for winters

The sweet, creamy custard apple can be enjoyed as is or in a variety of dishes. Home chef Somma Ghosh shares a dessert recipe that pairs well with a little nip in the air

Custard apple which is also called sugar-apple for its natural sweetness is known to benefit human health in varied ways. Being rich in fibre and antioxidants, the fruit can improve our eye and heart health. It is also known to boost our immunity, reduce inflammation and aid digestion. Although one can just dig into the fruit with a spoon, desserts made from sitaphal are too tasty to miss.

Aata’r payesh

Home chef Somma Ghosh, who helms delivery platform Kitchen Tales, likes to whip up some payesh — a Bengali kheer — using the fruit. “I also make sitaphal phirni. Although Mumbai isn’t that chilly, the slight nip in the air can be enjoyed with such desserts. I add a custard apple mush to phirni ingredients. The addition enhances the flavour of the dish.”

Aata’r mohunbhog

Ingredients
. 2 pieces of custard apple (take the pulpy portion after removing the skin and separating the seeds) 
. 100 gm sooji
. 50 gm ghee
. 200 ml condensed milk
. 200 gm mawa 
. 3 tbsp brown sugar  
. 25 gm cashew  
. 25 gm raisins 
. A few strands of saffron soaked in 2 tbsp warm milk
. 300 ml (approximately) water 

Aata phirni

Method
Soak the custard apples in water for half an hour. Then, remove from water and wipe. Break them into two portions from the centre of the stalk. Use a spoon to scoop out the pulpy portion. Use your fingers or a masher to loosen up the seeds and de-seed the pulp. Blend half of the pulp into a fine paste. Keep the remaining de-seeded half intact.

Take a kadhai, add ghee and let it heat. Add sooji and stir it constantly so that it gradually picks a golden colour. Add cashew and raisins, and fry them both till golden. Then, add mawa and mix well. Pour in the condensed milk and fold it. Add the de-seeded and puréed custard apple mush. Add some brown sugar and mix well. Now, add the water. Stir and mix well. Pour in more water if needed or necessary. Check for the sweetness, you may add a bit more if needed. Fold in the saffron-infused milk next. Stir thoroughly. It will take a few minutes for the water to evaporate and the mohunbhog will come together in the kadhai as a creamy whole. The small de-seeded pieces of the custard apple will give a good bite to this dessert. Serve the dessert warm. 

Eat it right

. If you come across a custard apple which has cracked from the grid-like lines on it, the piece is nicely ripened and best had as it is — as a fruit. 
. Choose ripened but not falling-apart pieces to 
cook with. 
. Always soak the fruit in some clean water for half an hour. 
. Make sure you remove the green coloured skin with a good margin. 

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