How to remove the seeds from Custard Apple (Sitafal)

Custard Apple (also known as Sitaphal in Hindi) is a very delicious fruit. It is said that this fruit originated in Indonesia and came to US and then on to the Asian countries. It is a widely cultivated fruit variety in India. This fruit is used in making a wide range of desserts and drinks. It is used to make wine also. The fruit contains innumerable seeds inside the outer green skin and the seeds are covered with white pulp. The pulp tastes sweet. It is a time consuming process to extract these pulps from the seeds for use in making the various desserts or drinks. But I used a simple method for removing the seeds and getting the pulp using a potato masher and strainer. Let us see the method.

Select the Custard Apples which are pale green in color and firm to touch. The skin should not be broken. Broken skin means that they are very ripe and likely to get spoiled easily. If you get pale green fruits, but which are hard, it means that they are likely to take another day or two to get fully ripe. You can wrap them in newspaper and keep for a day or two to get ripened.

Select the Custard Apples with big eyelets so that you get more pulp.

Method 1:

Break open the Custard Apple. Remove the pulp along with the seeds using a spoon. Put them in a strainer placed on a vessel. Mash them in with a whisker for few minutes. Some pulp will fall thru the strainer into the vessel. You will find that the seeds get separated. Now, remove the seeds with a spoon and discard. Whatever pulp remains in the strainer can be collected with the spoon and transferred to the vessel. This is a traditional method used by many.

Method 2:

Place a sieve (the one we use for sieving Rawa etc) on a bowl. Place all the custard apple seeds with the pulp on it. Press them with a potato masher for some time. You will find that the seeds get separated. Discard the seeds and collect the pulp in the bowl. 

I found the second method easier.

If you want to store the pulp for future use, add 2 tbsp of Sugar granules and ¼ tsp of Lemon Juice to the pulp. Mix well. Store it in an air tight jar in the freezer.