Guanabana is a green-yellow, round, thorny fruit that grows in many countries in Central and South America. Scientifically known as "Annona muricata" it has a delicious flavor reminiscent of pineapple. Guanabana should be stripped of its thick outer skin and seeds as they are toxic. You can use the pulp as a base for a smoothie, milkshake, or other refreshing drink. Guanabana is also good eaten alone, raw or roasted.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Reaching the Pulp
Step 1. Choose a guanabana with a yellow-green skin
When unripe, guanabana is dark green in color and can take a week or more to mature. When ripe, the peel becomes yellowish. You can also evaluate if the fruit is ready to be eaten by touching it, if it is ripe it will have a soft, almost mushy consistency.
- Guanabana also ripens in the refrigerator, but more slowly.
- When unripe it has a sour taste and a very hard and grainy texture.
Step 2. Wash it with warm water
Hold it under warm running water for 2-3 minutes and scrub it with your hands to remove any possible foreign matter. For a deeper cleaning, you can use a detergent suitable for washing fruit and vegetables.
Step 3. Remove the peel
The outer layer of the guanabana is not edible, so it is a must to remove it. Score the tip of the fruit with the knife by drawing an "X". The incision should only be deep enough to reach the pulp. At this point, separate the peel sections with your hands, grab them one at a time and pull them downwards, detaching them from the pulp to peel the guanabana.
- The guanabana should be peeled as if it were a banana. If necessary, remove the peel residues stuck to the pulp with the knife.
- The rind of the guanabana is littered with small thorns, but they are generally not hard enough to irritate the skin when you hold it.
Step 4. Cut it lengthwise
Place the fruit on the cutting board and take a sharp knife. Hold the guanabana firmly and cut it in half. If it's ripe, you should be able to cut it cleanly. If you want to reach the seeds more comfortably, you can cut the fruit into four parts.
Step 5. Remove the seeds
The pulp of the guanabana is cream colored and encloses a series of long, smooth black seeds that you can easily remove using your fingers or a pointed spoon. It is important to remove all of them as they contain neurotoxins.
- What we refer to as a seed is actually the storage of dozens of small seeds.
- Throw away the seeds after you have extracted them from the pulp and make sure they are out of the reach of people or animals.
Step 6. Store leftover fruit pieces in an airtight container
Use a glass or plastic food container with a lid and make sure it is tightly sealed before storing it in the refrigerator. The guanabana will keep fresh for a few days.
Method 2 of 3: Eat the Guanabana
Step 1. Eat it plain
Take a spoon and sink it into the soft pulp. If you prefer, you can cut it into bite-sized pieces with a sharp knife. Another possibility is to blend the pulp until it becomes a puree to be eaten with a spoon.
The taste of guanabana resembles that of pineapple. Like many tropical fruits it is sweet and sour at the same time
Step 2. Cool the pulp to increase its sweetness
If you have developed a tingling or irritation in your mouth from eating guanabana, wait a few days and then try again. Meanwhile, keep the fruit pulp in the refrigerator in an airtight container. If you wait, you will notice that the guanabana will progressively get sweeter and sweeter.
Step 3. Try it cooked
When ripe, guanabana can be treated like a vegetable. You can cut it into pieces or in half and roast it in the oven at 175 ° C for 20-30 minutes or until it is extremely soft. If you want to make it tastier, sprinkle it with nutmeg or cinnamon before putting it in the oven.
Just like pineapple, guanabana can also be sliced and grilled. Brush it with honey to make it even sweeter and more delicious
Step 4. Use it to make ice cream
Set up the electric or manual ice cream maker and prepare the ice cream using 180 g of guanabana pulp puree, 240 ml of milk, 150 g of sugar and 475 ml of fresh cream. Follow the instructions given in the ice cream maker's instruction manual and get ready to enjoy a fabulous ice cream.
If you don't have an ice cream maker, you can combine the ingredients and use the mixture to make popsicles. If you don't have the appropriate mold, you can use the one made from ice cubes
Step 5. Make a guanabana parfait cake
Beat 120ml of egg yolks with 75g of powdered sugar in a large bowl and then add 240ml of fresh cream. Heat 240g of guanabana pulp puree in a pan with 30g of powdered gelatin. Incorporate 350 g of white chocolate in drops (or crushed) and 240 g of black zapote (exotic fruit whose taste is reminiscent of that of chocolate). Pour the mixture into the pan, mix to blend the ingredients and then transfer everything to the pan. Chill the cake in the refrigerator for 2 hours or until it has the consistency of a parfait.
Step 6. Be cautious if you intend to consume guanabana to take advantage of its medicinal properties
Some people claim that it can help cure cancer, but this is information that has not yet been verified by medical authorities. Furthermore, given the presence of traces of neurotoxins, it is advisable not to overdo the doses.
Method 3 of 3: Use Guanabana in a Drink
Step 1. Make a smoothie
Guanabana is a fruit that allows you to be very creative. You can blend it in combination with other fruits, such as bananas, kiwis, strawberries or blueberries. Put the fruit in the blender and then fill it with ice cubes. Blend until the drink has a smooth, smooth consistency. Pour the smoothie into the glass and store any excess in the refrigerator.
Step 2. Make a milkshake
Blend the pulp of a ripe guanabana with a frozen banana, 120ml coconut water, and 120ml almond milk. Add a few drops of vanilla or cinnamon extract for an even more delicious milkshake. Keep blending the ingredients until you get a smooth and creamy drink, then pour it into the glass and add a sprinkle of cinnamon for decoration.
Step 3. Make a refreshing drink
Blend the pulp of a ripe guanabana with 475 ml of water until you get a smooth and homogeneous puree. Add another 240ml of water, one can of sweetened condensed milk, 2 tablespoons (30ml) of fresh lime juice, 1 tablespoon (15ml) of vanilla extract, and one teaspoon (5ml) of nutmeg powder. Blend to obtain a smooth and creamy drink to be served cold.
- This drink can be served cold or with ice.
- If you don't like condensed milk, you can sweeten the drink using honey.
Step 4. Make a hot drink with guanabana leaves
Infuse 2 or 3 in a cup of boiling water. Pour the water directly onto the leaves and leave them to infuse for 5-10 minutes. Remove the leaves from the cup with a spoon, then sweeten the drink to taste with sugar or honey. This herbal tea is also delicious cold.
Attached to the petiole of each fruit are generally 4-6 bright green, oval-shaped leaves. You can choose a guanabana that still has the leaves or you can buy them dried at a specialty store
Step 5. Drink the guanabana juice
Use a juicer or extractor and cut the fruit into small pieces after peeling and removing seeds. Remember to place a glass or carafe under the spout from which the juice will come out. Throw away the pulp and drink the guanabana juice alone or added to yogurt or ice cream.
