This Soursop Smoothie (Sinh to mang cau) is thick, creamy and fruity with a sweet and sour taste. You can prepare it with or without a blender and enjoy it as a midday snack or breakfast.
What is Soursop
Soursop trees are planted in the South of Vietnam. It is called mãng cầu in the North, and mãng cầu xiêm (or mãng cầu gai) in the South. The fruits have a dark green and prickly skin which is not edible while the flesh is white, thick and creamy.
Wonder what soursop tastes like? Ripe soursop has a sour taste (not super sour though) and a fruity aroma quite like pineapple (though not as sweet). You can think of it as the sour version of cherimoya. The fruit is ripe when it feels soft to the touch. Unripe soursop is hard and tastes bitter.
Depending on the origin, the taste can differ slightly. For example, Vietnamese soursop is on the sour side with more fibrous flesh while Thai soursop is slightly sweeter with less fiber.
How to Eat Soursop
In Vietnam, ripe soursop fruit is often used to make smoothies. However, the fruit also has inedible black seeds which need to be removed before consuming. We came up with an easy way to remove the seeds which you can see in the video below along with how to prepare soursop for the smoothie.
Once you have removed all the seeds and peeled off the skin, you can use the pulp right away or freeze it to use later.
Making Soursop Smoothie
Vietnamese soursop smoothie (sinh tố mãng cầu) usually contains soursop pulp, sweetened condensed milk, yogurt (and/or milk, depending on personal preferences) and ice. We will blend everything together in a blender until smooth.
We like our soursop drink to be thick and creamy. If you prefer thinner consistency, like a soursop juice, you can add milk (or more water and condensed milk) to get the desired texture.
The same ingredients mentioned above can also be combined without a blender. This is another popular way to eat soursop in Vietnam, and we call it mãng cầu dầm. Basically, all ingredients are added to a glass, and you will use a spoon to mix, smash everything while eating.
As I have said above, depending on the country of origin, soursop fruits can have slightly different taste and texture. Vietnamese soursop is more fibrous, so it really benefits from being blended until smooth. On the contrary, Thai variety has less fiber, so we usually like to make mang cau dam with it.
I include both methods in the recipe card below so you can choose your preferred method. One last thing to note here is that please adjust the ratio of ingredients to taste since each soursop may taste slightly different.
Other Drink Recipes to Try
I’d love to hear what you think about the dish, so please feel free to leave a comment and a rating if you have tried it. New recipes are added every week so let’s connect on Facebook, Youtube, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates. You can find my collection of Vietnamese recipes here.
Soursop Smoothie
Ingredients
- 9 oz soursop pulp (aboout 1 cup)
- 3.5 oz plain yogurt (about 1/2 cup)
- 2-3 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk (to taste)
- 8-10 ice cubes
Instructions
Blender Method
- Put all ingredients in the blender jar and blend until smooth. Divide into 2 serving glasses and serve immediately.
No Blender Method
- Break the pulp into smaller pieces (with a spoon, knife or scissors). Crush the ice.
- Divide all ingredients equally into 2 serving glasses, start with soursop, yogurt and condensed milk and then ice.
- When eating, use a spoon to stir, mix, and smash to bring everything together and enjoy right away.
Notes
- Cut soursop fruit into wedges
- Pierce a fork through the flesh to find and remove the seeds
- Peel off the skin
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