Soursop / Durian Belanda / Cherimoya

Soursop fruit

My family moved a lot when I was young. Practically every two years in fact. No, we were not in the army, close enough. Dad was a government servant with the Land and Survey Department.

When I was about 4, we were posted to a small town called Sungai Petani (Farmer's River). Dad was given a huge old bungalow to live in. Right next to the house, there was a big Soursop tree. Our dog loved to sleep under that tree. We kids didn't really go out into the very large yard because there were lots of snakes out there (told you it was large, very large by today's standard).

It has a soft, creamy, almost custard like center

Anyways, mum said us kids hardly eat the fruit then. She can't remember why. But that's a pity, because it was really nice to eat.

Now that we are adults, we love Soursop. But I usually buy it from the Bandar Tun Razak Velodrome Stadium drink stall near my mum's house as they have done all the dirty work of peeling, removing the skin, and blending the fruit into a drink. And those guys sell it cheap there.


Soursop Smoothie

- To pick a ripe fruit, choose a fruit that is soft enough to yield to the slight pressure of one's thumb.
- Cut open the fruit and remove the hard, black seeds.
- place the soft flesh into a blender, add sugar to taste and ice

So simple. The other easy way to eat it, is to eat the pulp straight. No blending, nothing!

Jasmin

Come join my "Eat Raw Food Today" facebook group

ps I went back to Sungai Petani to visit my old home when I was in my early twenties. The old house is gone now. That's such a pity because they don't built houses of those designs anymore. It's unique because it has a sheltered court yard at the back of the house. The huge Flame of the Forest rainforest trees are gone. So's the Soursop tree. They tore down everything and built two bungalows in it's compound instead. Land must have been pricey. No doubt, in the future, those two houses will go. The government may built an apartment complex in what is essentially government land.

pps one of the readers pointed out to me that it is possible to overdose on soursop. I agree. You know, just like everything, it's best to take things in moderation. Hubby once ate nothing but durian for a whole month with dire consequences.

Images taken from http://fruitspecies.blogspot.com/2007/09/soursop.html and http://srv.fotopages.com/2/15299192.jpg