Sitaphal baked yogurt? Quick and easy dishes you can make with custard apple

Are you a fan of custard apples? If you are, then you must truly enjoy the fruit and may have already picked it up off fruit carts this winter. Surely, the fruit, which is currently in season may be eaten by people but all of us can agree that many may say otherwise as it may not always be their first choice. This is mostly because they are tedious to eat as cleaning them itself is time consuming.

The winter season brings with it a variety of vegetables and fruits - some of which are really popular and steal the show every year. However, others like custard apples often remain lesser favourites to savour. However, chefs believe a lot can be done with them, especially if you love cooking and want to experiment with them in your dishes. The green and black-marked globular fruit add a different kind of sweetness to your dishes, say Mumbai chefs. Interestingly, they can not only be used in desserts but also in savoury dishes, the chefs add.

As custard apples are in season, Mid-day.com looked for Mumbai chefs to learn how they work with the fruit. Interestingly, there are quite a few that work with the winter fruit. Even though it has a rough exterior, the extremely sweet and pulpy interior can also be used to its full potential after being deseeded. They not only suggest making different versions of basundi but also adding them to a Thai dish and even to some baked yogurt to create a burst of flavours in your mouth.

Sitaphal Basundi by chef Ilandhirai Vadivel, Radisson Blu Mumbai International Airport, Andheri East
One of the easiest ways to use the fruit because it is in season right now is by making an Indian sweet out of it. Believing in the true value of the seasonal fruit during winter, Vadivel says one must make the most use of them. He shares, "Using custard apples is more beneficial to our health, especially eyes, skin and digestion. This fruit has more flavour and is very good in taste and kids love the dish."

Ingredients:
Custard apple and pulp 1 cup
Milk full cream 1 litre
Sugar 1/2 cup
Cardamom powder 1 teaspoon

Method:
1. Scoop out the fruit with a spoon.
2. Put the fruit in a small processor and pulse 3 to 4 times, so the seeds will be separated.
3. Boil the milk in a heavy bottom pan and slowly reduce it into half.
4. Keep stirring to avoid milk scorching the bottom of the pan or sides of the pan.
5. Once the milk is reduced, add sugar and cardamom powder and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes.
6. Remove from the heat and close with a lid.
7. Once cooled down, add the custard apple pulp and mix it well.
8. Chill it for a few hours and serve custard apple basundi garnished with rose petals and nuts.

Sitaphal Baked Yogurt by chef Vinayak Dalvi, ITC Maratha, Andheri East
While basundi is one way to experiment with custard apples in dessert, chef Vinayak Dalvi, sous chef at ITC Maratha says you can experiment by using the fruit to make a delicious yogurt. The delicate yogurt, shares Dalvi, gets a sweetness from the custard apple and tastes even better after it is baked and topped with crushed granola bars.

Ingredients:
Amul cream 200 gm
Yogurt 250 gm
Condensed milk 200 gm
Custard apple pulp 150 gm
Nutella chocolate granola bar 2 bars

Method:
1. Take a clean mixing bowl.
2. Whisk in the yoghurt, cream and custard pulp until mixed well.
3. Now strain the mixture through a mesh and add in the condensed milk.
4. Mix well.
5. Set the mixture in oven safe bowls of choice.
6. Place the bowls in a baking tray and cover the bowls with silver foil.
7. Now add water to the baking tray to make it a double boiler.
8. Bake them in the oven at 120 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes.
9. Once done take them out of the oven and let it cool in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
10. Top them with the crushed chocolate granola bars and serve chilled.

Thai Green Curry with Custard Apple by chef Prem Pradhan, Nara Thai, Colaba
While using custard apples for desserts may be imaginable for most diners, chef Prem Pradhan at Nara Thai uses the fruit in a savoury dish called Thai green curry with custard apple. The seasonal fruit, he says, provides balance to the spicy Southeast Asian dish. He explains, "Thai curries are usually known for their spiciness. To break the stereotype and add a balance of sweetness and savoury, custard apple could be added. It not only balances the dish but also adds richness and flavour to the palate."

Ingredients:
Light coconut milk 500 ml
Green curry paste 2 tbsp
Kaffir lime leaves 6 nos
Red chillies, medium, seeded and sliced on the diagonal 2 nos
Thai sweet basil, leaves only 12 stalks
Custard apple, medium, peeled, seeded 1 no
Vegetables of choice

Method:
1. Keep the pan on a medium flame, add coconut milk, bring to a boil and cook for 3-4 minutes on high flame and stir until it starts to thicken.
2. Add green thai curry paste, stir and cook till the colour of the green curry paste becomes darker. Add the rest of the coconut milk to the pan, stir well and bring the milk to a boil.
3. Once the milk starts to boil, add vegetables of choice and salt, stir and cook for a few minutes on medium flame.
4. Further add kaffir lime leaves, Thai basil leaves and red chilli peppers, stir and cook for 4 - 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the custard apple and stir through - don't let the custard apple cook.
5. Your green Thai curry with custard apple is ready to be served with steamed jasmine rice.

Vegan Sitaphal Basundi by chef Ruffy Shaikh, ITC Grand Central, Parel
One may love custard apples and basundi, but if you love them both and are vegan, it may be difficult to enjoy it. However, with the popularity of the lifestyle, many chefs are working towards serving classics as vegan dishes. At ITC Grand Central, chef Ruffy Shaikh suggests making use of custard apple to make a vegan sitaphal basundi. Instead of using the regular cow milk, Shaikh recommends using almond milk to make the dish. Apart from sharing the health benefits, the city chef says one can make variations of the dish while fasting for Navratri too.

Ingredients:
Almond milk 1 litre
Castor sugar 200 gm
Green cardamom powder 3 gm
Custard apple pulp (Sitaphal) 400 gm
Almond and pistachio flakes 5 gm

Method:
1. Boil the almond milk and reduce it to half stirring constantly so the cream is not formed on top.
2. Once reduced to half then add sugar, cardamom powder and give a good stir for 2 to 3 minutes
3. Remove from heat and transfer it to a bowl, cover with a lid to prevent the formation of a cream layer on top.
4. Remove the sitaphal pulp from the fruit and use a spoon. As the pulse it in is cooled down, mix it with sitaphal pulp and refrigerate in a glass bowl.
5. Serve chilled and garnish with almond and pistachio flakes.

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